Journey Of A New Clan
by Cody The Pikachu
Summary: A young kit gets bullied by most of his Clan, and a concerned warrior sticks up for him. After a cruel prank almost gets the kit killed, the warrior leaves in self-exile and takes the kit with him to find a new land. They have to find a new home quickly and find other cats willing to help him build a new Clan...but will the ThunderClan leader ruin them?
1. Allegiances And Prologue

**Cody The Pikachu: Hey there, everyone, and welcome to my new story: Journey Of A New Clan! I'd like to say how I started this.**

**I've been reading some stories of Warrior Cats when the Clan cats somehow get really mean towards a kit and single him/her out for torture while he/she only gets a handful of friends. So I decided to make one where a warrior take action against the bullying. Also, I read this one story where some Clan cats split off from their own Clans to make one of their own and moved a bit away from the lake. I figured I could try this and make it a "Create A New Clan" story...plus, I'm using a character from my Wildfire: Acceptance story. ****Finally, this takes place after the cats in the modern cats have all died off. They'll still remember certain parts of today's Clan history and the such. Anyways, here's the disclaimer!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Warrior Cats series; it belongs to Erin Hunter. Remember that. I also don't intend on making any money from this.**

**Summary: A young kit gets bullied by most of his Clan, and a concerned warrior starts sticking up for him. After a cruel prank by the kits almost gets the kit killed, the warrior leaves in self-exile and takes the kit with him, off to find a new land. They have to find a new home quickly and find other cats willing to help him build a new Clan...but will ThunderClan try taking it away from them?**

**Publishing Date: June 17, 2014**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

_**Allegiances**_

**ThunderClan**

Leader: Thornstar = dark brown tom with a stumpy tail and amber eyes

Deputy: Leafwillow = orange tabby she-cat with white paws

Medicine Cat: Moleclaw = black tom  
Apprentice: Silverpaw

Warriors

Badgerclaw = large black tom with gray stripes and a gray muzzle

Thistleheart = pale tabby she-cat  
Apprentice: Plumpaw

Duskpelt = dark gray tom  
Apprentice: Lizardpaw

Bluefoot = white she-cat with gray paws

Sparrowwing = brown she-cat  
Apprentice: Breezepaw

Yellowstripe = pale orange tom with amber eyes

Longfur = longhaired gray tabby she-cat

Pounceheart = gray-and-white tom  
Apprentice: Whitepaw

Birchbranch = light brown tabby tom

Swiftflight = black-and-white she-cat

Earthtalon = large brown tom with black tabby legs

Nightflower = black she-cat with amber eyes

Deerspring = long-legged light gray she-cat

Wildfire = dark brown tabby tom with hazel eyes

Apprentices

Silverpaw = silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes and white paws

Plumpaw = gray tabby she-cat

Lizardpaw = ginger tom

Breezepaw = dark gray tabby tom

Whitepaw = white she-cat

Queens

Sandflower = cream-furred she-cat with blue eyes; mate of Badgerclaw and the oldest queen

Riverstep = light brown tabby she-cat with green eyes; mother of Thornstar's kits (Brownkit = gray tomkit; Punykit = small white tomkit and the runt of his litter)

Dawnheart = gray she-cat with blue eyes; mother of Yellowstripe's kits (Applekit = gray tortoiseshell she-kit; Vinekit = dark golden she-kit; Finchkit = golden-and-white tomkit with blue eyes)

Elders

Shrewfrost = dark brown tabby tom

Pearseed = gray she-cat with a missing eye and ear

Clifftalon = sandy-brown tom with amber eyes and a missing paw

Crookedpelt = brown-and-white she-cat with spiky fur

Galewind = lean white tom

**Prologue**

"Deerpaw, from this day forward, you will be known as Deerspring. StarClan honors your modesty and swift hunting, and we welcome you as a warrior of ThunderClan." The dark brown tom then turned to the younger dark tabby beside the newly-made warrior. "And Wildpaw, you will be known as Wildfire. StarClan honors your cunning and good heart, and we welcome you too as a ThunderClan warrior."

_Thank you, Thornstar. _Wildfire couldn't help but quiver in excitement. He was a warrior at long last.

With that, he watched Deerfoot pad up to the ThunderClan leader and lick his shoulder just as he touched her forehead with his nose. Wildfire waited for Thornstar to rest his muzzle on his forehead before doing the same, stepping back quickly and looking back at his Clanmates. Their now-former mentors (Bluefoot for Deerspring and Longfur for Wildfire) were watching with pride, eyes shining as they joined their mother in the crowd of cats.

"Deerfoot! Wildfire!" the Clan started chanting, their voices echoing around the stone hollow. "Deerspring! Wildfire!"

"Tonight, you will sit vigil for the Clan and not speak until one of our warriors says your vigil is done," Thornstar meowed. "But for the time being, enjoy the rest of the day as warriors."

Once that was done, the Clan split off to do whatever they were doing. Wildfire turned around to face Deerspring, happy to see the joy on her face, and he felt the same way she did.

"I can't believe it! We're warriors at last!" she purred. "And you worked twice as hard!"

"Yep," Wildfire mewed, keeping his voice light. "But you worked really hard too."

Despite what his sister said, he felt like he had not done a lot...getting distracted by butterflies was not what one would call training. When he was a kit, Leafwillow had observed him staring off into space or not interact much with the other kits, stuff kits would normally do. They did not know the name of this syndrome, but the leader before Thornstar allowed him to train with older warriors to help him get used to being around cats his own age. But during times of taking time off training, he would amuse himself by staring around camp and delving into his imagination.

Feeling a bit hungry now, he started to go over towards the fresh-kill pile, ready to pick something out to eat until his vigil. But he had just gotten there and ready to take a sparrow when he heard wailing from the nursery beneath the bramble bush.

"Get Moleclaw!" a cream-furred she-cat called from the nursery entrance. "Riverstep's having her kits!"

"I'm on it, Sandflower!" Silverpaw called. The silver tabby apprentice raced across the clearing until she was at the medicine den.

Wildfire didn't really want to see what seeing a queen giving birth was like, and he remembered running off when Silverpaw described it to him. So, his appetite failing a bit, he decided to start his vigil early and sat there right at the foot of the Highledge, curling up into a ball and ready for a brief catnap. The cats were all looking at him in a weird way, but he didn't mind. Better to get it over with than wait along with the birth, he reckoned.

Hours later, Deerspring had joined him at the bottom of the Highledge and waited beside him, keeping vigil for the Clan and watching for anything suspicious going on. It was when he felt the slight breeze of the nightly newleaf air when he heard a rustle of leaves from the nursery.

The black tom called, "Hey Thornstar, get in here! Your mate's wanting to see you!"

Immediately, Thornstar headed over towards the nursery, asking, "How many?"

Moleclaw rolled his green eyes playfully. "Always wanting to get to the good stuff, huh, Thornstar? Well, to let you know, you have two healthy sons. How about you go see them and Riverstep right away?"

So the ThunderClan leader pushed past him and into the nursery. At first, there was silence, and there and then was the gentle sounds of a tongue rasping over fur. He must have seen Riverstep and her kits and was happy to see them at long last.

"What should we name them?" he heard Riverstep mew.

"Why don't you?" Thornstar replied in a husky tone. "You're bound to be the best mother in the world anyway."

Wildfire could have sworn an owl would hear Riverstep's purr from where it was at. "Maybe Brownkit after your father...but what about our other son?"

There was silence. Then...Wildfire heard Thornstar growl, "Don't name him. He's no son of mine."

"What?!" Shock filled Riverstep's meow as whispers rippled through the Clan. "How can you say that? He's your son no matter if he's smaller than his brother-"

"That's the thing," Thornstar snapped, sharply interrupting him. "He's a runt! Runts usually don't make good warriors! Tomorrow, we'll take him and-"

However, Moleclaw spat at his leader, "That's enough! You're making her even more upset than before!"

From the sound of small gasps, Wildfire could tell that Riverstep was getting pretty upset. He didn't mean to hear the entire conversation, but from a short distance, he could easily hear arguing or joking as easily as a nearby cat. But he was now uncomfortable about what Thornstar was saying. Was he ready to leave his own kit to die just because there was something wrong with him?

"...fine. I'll name him," Thornstar growled. "And whatever name I choose, he shall have for the rest of his life. His name will be...Punykit."

"That's even worse," Moleclaw retorted. "If I were this kit, I'd prefer no name to that one. As your medicine cat, I ask of you to change it."

Thornstar snarled, "And as the _leader _of this Clan and _your _leader, I say that the name stays. If I hear that Riverstep or anyone else renames that kit, then I shall force them to retire to the elders early. Now I'm off to bed. Good-night!"

And without even giving comforting words to his mate, he stalked out of the nursery. Wildfire watched him while he was on his way, and he saw Thornstar glare irritably at him before he climbed up the wall to his den.

Wildfire shared a look with Deerspring before looking away again. He had a bad hunch that Thornstar hated cats who were different from their Clanmates; even when he was the deputy of the Clan, he would give him (Wildfire) a harder time than most apprentices. So he would know what it was like to be different. This could be his reaction to Punykit when he would grow older.

_StarClan, help Punykit. Thornstar shouldn't be mean to his kits...especially that one. __Please let him be a good asset to the Clan._

**_To be continued..._**

**...**

**Cody The Pikachu: Here you go, guys. I hope you all like this story so far because it's gonna get better...and kinda harsh. I've been wondering where a new Clan might come up...sorry about the spoiler. Plus, this isn't gonna be one of those prophecy stories; this'll be about a story about helping those who are in so much need of it. Especially those who are victims of bullying.**

**Read and review, folks! In any review, put in a description of any rogues or kittypets. Right now, I'm welcoming twenty OCs to be rogues, loners, or kittypets, so come forth with a cool idea for a character! See details below. Anyways, I do NOT allow flames, but I DO welcome advice, questions, and constructive criticism as long as you're polite about it. Oh, and you'll also immediately get a virtual plush doll of your favorite Warrior Cats character.**

**Name:**

**Age:**

**Pelt color:**

**Eye color:**

**Personality:**

**Rogue, loner, or kittypet:**

**Family:**

**See ya next time!**


	2. The Life Of Awkward Cats

**Cody The Pikachu: Hey there, everyone, and welcome back to Journey Of A New Clan! So far, we got one character request, and the cat's name is Snow. She'll turn up fairly early in the journey a few chapters away, so hang in there! Plus, a Clan cat or two might tag along for the journey, but I won't say yet.**

**By the way, I forgot...I actually got a few character requests! Captured Spirits has Lightning, Crow, and Storm, Ultima Owner has Sparrow and Old Bones, and Snowfeather has Snow. So I'm gonna do whatever I can to get them into the story. Four down, and sixteen more to go! But be warned: once I reach 20 OCs, I will not be accepting anymore.**

**Now that that's done, on with the disclaimer!**

**Disclaimer: Do I own Warrior Cats? No way! It belongs to Erin Hunter!**

**Uploading Date: June 17, 2014**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

_**The Life Of Awkward Cats**_

The harsh greenleaf sun was just rising over the trees of the ThunderClan lake territory. A lone tabby tom was strolling around, sniffing the air for prey...that, and he was taking a walk just for the heck of it. Things looked really peaceful around this time, though he wished it was a bit cooler; the warm weather didn't suit well with his long dark coat. So, finding a lone rock near the lake, he padded up to it, and jumped onto it, staring out across the water. It had been only five moons since he and his sister were made warriors of ThunderClan, and he was going to enjoy every bit of it.

Just then, the sound of rustling in the bushes made him turn around. A young rabbit was sniffing along the bushes, plucking a berry off of a holly bush and nibbling on it. With a smirk, he leaped off the rock and into the undergrowth, trying to track it and following the smaller creature as it browsed around. Dropping into a crouch, he wriggled his behind while creeping closer...and then pounced! But the rabbit had noticed him in time, for it had leaped up in alarm and ran off through some thorny bushes.

_Mouse-dung! _he thought with a snarl. _I haven't been hunting too much today!_

"Tough luck there, Wildfire." The tabby tom turned to look at his gray-furred sister, standing beside a light brown tabby tom. "Shouldn't you have been creeping around instead of strolling and seeing something?"

"Sometimes, I just like taking walks," Wildfire insisted, getting back up. "By the way, Deerspring, why're you and Birchbranch hanging out together?"

"Relax," Birchbranch told him. "We're just getting along greatly."

Wildfire nodded and sat back down. "I guess you're right. How about we go hunting together? Just for once?"

Birchbranch tilted his head to one side. "Why just once?"

"Because I like hanging out on my own," Wildfire reasoned.

Deerspring sighed. "Fine. Let's do it so he can get back to dreaming about clouds."

Wildfire gave her a hurt look, but she ignored him. Ever since she had gotten close to Birchbranch five to seven moons ago, she had been acting aloof towards him recently. But at her worst, she could even snap at him even if he was minding his own business.

So he sighed, "You know what? Forget the hunting. If you're gonna be like that, I'm going back to camp!"

Thus, Wildfire turned around and walked off, not wanting to see what their reaction was. He had not entirely liked Birchbranch since he was stern with him when he was an apprentice and even made him cry once when he failed a hunting lesson. However, the leader before Thornstar had gotten wind of this and made the light brown tabby tom promise to be nicer to the apprentices...but he wasn't really that sure about that talk solving his attitude. Wildfire was sure that his bad attitude was still lurking around, threatening to surface if someone or something annoyed him.

He made it to the ThunderClan camp entrance and caught sight of the giant beech tree that fell into the hollow many years ago. Not only that, but he remembered his mother always saying to be careful around the ledges around the hollow; two ShadowClan cats in the past had died this way. So he went along the path that led down into the camp, where everyone was busy as usual...except for Thornstar, who was apparently in his den. Warriors and apprentices were bringing in food, elders were telling tales in their den amongst the branches of the beech tree, and queens were gossiping at the roots of the bush they were in.

_What to do now? _Wildfire wondered, looking around. But apparently, he was going to get his answer.

"Where's the fresh-kill?" Leafwillow, the ThunderClan deputy, had come up to him with a frown on her face.

"I...got bored," Wildfire lied. "So I decided to come back here."

The ginger she-cat did not look impressed. "If you're really bored, why don't you try helping Moleclaw sort out herbs? Or even try to tend to the elders?"

Wildfire felt a groan rise in his throat. That was going to make him even more bored...but he did like listening to the elders' stories about the Clans in the past, events like the battle against the Dark Forest and the Great Journey. Besides, tending to the elders while listening to their stories could be worth it. So he nodded thanks to Leafwillow before heading off towards the medicine den.

He had not gone far, however, when he heard jeering from the direction of the nursery. Wildfire's heart sank at the sounds of other kits jeering; he had felt that way when some of the kits picked on him when he was little. Right away, he headed right towards the nursery and looked inside...but found nothing. The jeering was coming around from the other side. When he reached the back of the den, he saw something that made him gasp.

"Hey Punyfreak!" a little dark golden she-kit named Vinekit was sneering at a littler white kit. "How're you so small? Did you hit your head or something?"

"Or maybe StarClan doesn't like him!" her brother Finchkit, a ginger-and-white kit, added with a nasty purr. "Punyfreak! I bet you're going to the Dark Forest! You're too small to ever be a warrior!"

However, Wildfire saw that one of the other kits named Applekit (a gray tortoiseshell she-kit) staying on the sidelines and looking worried. Seeing this kit being picked on was more than the young tabby warrior could bear; why wasn't Riverstep keeping an eye on her kit? Well...he had to do something and quick.

"HEY!" Wildfire ran over to the kits, towering over them. "That's enough! What're you doing to Punykit?"

Finchkit looked down. "Nothing. Just playing a game."

Wildfire looked around at Punykit and saw that the little white tom was sniffing sadly. He turned back to the other two kits and snapped, "Just a game? Saying that kind of stuff towards your Clanmate is very disrespectful. I even have a mind to tell your mother or Thornstar about this? Do they know what you're doing?"

Vinekit piped up, "They know! They hate him as much as we do!"

That made Wildfire step back in shock. He knew Thornstar didn't like Punykit...but why Dawnheart? She was one of those who had protested about Punykit having his rather unfortunate name. But he did look back to two moons ago when Punykit accidentally fell over her three kits by accident, and she yelled at him about it. Since then, Vinekit and Finchkit had tormented the runt of the litter relentlessly.

"I'm going to the medicine den for mouse bile, and I'm taking Punykit with me," he growled. "Do NOT follow us or else. Come on," he murmured to Punykit, nudging him along with his muzzle. "Let's get to Moleclaw's den."

"Th-Thanks," Punykit mumbled, stumbling after him.

Feeling sorry for him, Wildfire went back, picked him up by the scruff, and carried him off this way. He also noticed that Punykit felt lighter than the other kits in the nursery; perhaps this was due to his smaller size. Or did this mean he wasn't getting enough to eat? That, he would have to find out at Moleclaw's den.

The duo finally made it to the medicine den, a somewhat small hole in the wall of the stone hollow. Wildfire made his way inside and looked around; the medicine den was the calmest-looking place in camp...as long as there weren't too much sick cats. Right away, Silverpaw (the medicine cat apprentice) was tending to one of her friends, a young white she-cat named Whitepaw, whose eyes were glazed with sickness. Wildfire wanted to step around her, but she seemed to have noticed him coming in.

"Hey Wildfire," the silver tabby cat greeted him. Looking at Punykit, she asked, "Aww, what happened to the poor little guy?"

Wildfire set Punykit down and replied, "Dawnheart's kits. I don't know how she can let them continue on like this. But anyways, where's Moleclaw?"

Silverpaw flicked her tail towards the cave at the back of the den. "Sorting herbs over there."

"Thanks," Wildfire meowed. "Let's go, Punykit."

Punykit nodded and mumbled, "Okay."

Wildfire shared a confused look with Silverpaw. "Why's he speaking like that?"

"Like what?"

"In small words?"

Silverpaw looked down at Punykit. "Probably because he's getting picked on. Anyways, go see Moleclaw. I'll entertain Punykit for a while."

Wildfire nodded his thanks and headed towards the back of the cave. When he made it back there, he could see Moleclaw's eyes gleaming with interest in the dark as he sorted herbs. His black pelt allowed him to blend in well with the dark, yet he could be creepy coming out of the shadows if someone needed him.

"Hey Moleclaw," Wildfire called. "You busy?"

He heard a sigh in the cave as Moleclaw replied sarcastically, "Oh no, just come in here and barge in here like a badger! I don't mind!" As if seeing Wildfire flinch from his ferocity, the medicine cat mumbled, "Sorry for snapping at you; I've just been busy sorting herbs for the upcoming leaf-fall. What can I do for you?"

"First...I want some mouse bile. To help with the elders' fleas," Wildfire listed down. "And second...Punykit's being picked on."

"Yeah, I know," Moleclaw muttered. "I tried telling Thornstar about it, but he won't talk about it. Well, that's our leader for you." The sounds of rummaging echoed through the cave as he went on, "So you want mouse bile, right? Make sure you spread it over the fleas and ticks...but do NOT eat any. Remember what happened when you were an apprentice?"

Wildfire grimaced at the taste. "You don't need to remind me. Birchbark dared me to, though."

Moleclaw's amber eyes narrowed. "Then I'll talk with him about that. Anyways, take it by this here stick," he meowed as he pushed the stick with the stuff out towards him, "and let Punykit tag along."

"That's what I was gonna do," Wildfire mewed as he took the stick in his jaws. Then he added through the mouthful of stick, "Bu' thnks."

He backed away just as Silverpaw was finished talking with Punykit, who mewled something before heading off after Wildfire. The two slowly made their way across the clearing over towards the elders' den, underneath the branches of the beech tree. And they weren't bothered by the other warriors...mainly because most of them kept away from Punykit. But they were just on their way to their destination when they heard an unpleasantly familiar kit voice.

"So the freak's going with the big stupid cat to the elders?" Finchkit sneered. "Hey Vinekit! We should name them the Stupid Duo!"

"Yeah!" Vinekit jeered. "Or maybe he should be called Punystupid!"

Hearing their laughs made Wildfire want to beat some sense into them, but he knew that would lead to trouble. Besides, after seeing how much work kits would be, he decided being a father really wasn't the best thing for him. In time, he saw Punykit cringe beside him, so he wrapped his tail defensively around the young white kit, shielding him from the taunts of Dawnheart's litter. Most of all, he was bristling due to them calling him stupid, a name he hated being called.

Just then, though, Punykit's brother Brownkit yelled, "Leave them alone! That's my brother you're messing with too! I don't care if you tease me, but you don't go messing with Punykit! Not even Dad!"

The siblings glared at one another as if not believing someone could defy them like this. But since Brownkit was the most popular kit in the nursery, they just muttered something before finally leaving them alone.

"Hey!" Brownkit called. "Want help?"

Unable to speak due to the stick in his mouth, Wildfire nodded.

So the three of them went on their way to the elders' den, finally reaching there without any interruptions. While on their way, Wildfire was happy to see that Brownkit was sticking up for his younger littermate; he thought he was off being the most popular kit in the nursery. Maybe once he and Punykit became apprentices, they could always back each other up. If they could survive long enough...

Finished with thinking, he led the kits through the branches and into the elders' den. Tales of the great leader Firestar rang in his ears continuously; the kittypet-born leader of ThunderClan had always been his hero and role model. Once inside, he looked around.

It was a rather hollow place with several nests of soft moss and grass around, shaded from the wind at both sides by the walls and the branches of the tree. In the nests laid four cats: a white tom, a gray she-cat with a missing eye and ear, a big dark brown tabby tom, and a spiky brown-and-white she-cat.

"Well, look who it is," the big dark tabby chuckled. "Wildfire and the leaders' kits! How're you young'uns doing?"

"Doing good, Shrewfrost," Wildfire meowed with a nod. "We just stopped by to see if you needed any help with anything."

Brownkit piped up, "Yeah! You got fleas to get rid of?"

"Or ticks?" Punykit mumbled.

The elders looked around at Punykit in sympathy before Galewind (the white tom) rasped, "I think I got a tick on my ear, and Pearseed's shoulders are infested with fleas. Would you be so kind as to help us out, please?"

"And in the meantime," spiky-furred Crookedpelt added, "we can pay you back with stories of the past. Better hurry, though; Clifftalon will be coming back from the dirtplace, and he always takes a nap after that."

So they set off to work right away...although Punykit just plopped down to listen to stories. Wildfire knew that he would have a lot to learn; a little patience and kindness had never hurt anyone before...has it?

**_To be continued..._**

**...**

**Cody The Pikachu: Here you go, guys. I hope you all like this story so far; if you don't, let me know how to make it better, and I'll try my best to fix it. So...looks like Punykit isn't too well-liked in the Clan, especially the other kits; the only ones who like him so far are Moleclaw, Silverpaw, Wildfire, and the elders. Who else likes him or whatever? You'll find out soon enough.**

**So far, I've been wondering of what to do: working on this story or working on other stories. Tell you what; I'll try and finish as many chapters as I can, and then I might work on some other ones. By the way, I've been thinking over what to do next in this story...I mean, about what the next chapter will be about. Maybe I might have Thornstar reacting to Punykit being around him.**

**Read and review, folks! I'm still accepting up to sixteen more OCs, so if you review, you'll automatically get virtual pizzas and drinks. I do NOT allow flames on this story or any other story, but I WILL accept advice, questions of any kind, and constructive criticism as long as you're nice about it.**

**See ya next time! Oh, and Happy early Independence Day!**


	3. The Missing Kit

**Cody The Pikachu: Hey there, everyone, and welcome back to Journey Of A New Clan! We got a new reviewer with an OC request: a loner named Dragoon! I'll see where he can come into the story, and we'll take it from there.**

**So now I might be adding some more stuff that'll push Wildfire's buttons...but not to make him suffer too much. Too much will lead him to leave the Clan...which will be what'll happen soon. Sorry about the spoiler, but I guess you can see it'll be so by reading the summary. Also, you'll see Thornstar's reaction around Punykit and even some of the other warriors...and maybe how Riverstep really feels about her mate's treatment of Punykit. **

**Disclaimer: I'm sure you all know this by now, but I'll repeat it since it's become a habit to me. I do not, have not, and will never own Warrior Cats. The series belongs to Erin Hunter...and some of the reviewers own OCs, and I give them full credit for them.**

**Uploading Date: June 18, 2014**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

_**The Missing Kit**_

Once Wildfire and the two kits were finished putting mouse bile on the elders' fleas, they went on their way to rinse their paws of the stuff. The lake was the main source of water for drinking or cleaning paws, so that was where they were going. Wildfire showed Punykit and Brownkit how to rinse themselves and not to go too far into the lake or else they could be swept over to RiverClan on the other side.

While they waded around, Wildfire thought over the relationship Punykit had with the other cats of the Clan. Finchkit and Vinekit always made fun of him, but Applekit never did that despite not sticking up for him. The apprentices were on the neutral side, not picking on him but ignoring them whenever he wanted to play. Even some of the warriors, deputy, and leader all disliked Punykit because of his size, and even Dawnheart let her kits bully him. The only friends he had in the Clan were Wildfire himself, Brownkit, Silverpaw, Moleclaw, Sandflower (the oldest nursery queen), and the elders. Whatever hatred most of the cats had for Punykit, they needed to have more warriors to fend for the Clan, and he could be a great warrior if they let him.

_I wish they treat the outcasts more fairly,_ Wildfire thought and looked down at the water. The tiny fish under the surface were flitting around left and right, and that made him feel like he was actually trapped in ThunderClan, but he couldn't leave yet. _I just want to be the best warrior I can be._

"Can we go visit the leader?" Brownkit mewed as he and Punykit played around in the shallow water. "He's our dad after all."

But Punykit cringed, and Wildfire had noticed this. He hadn't seen Thornstar interact with his smaller son before, and he guessed Punykit knew his father hated him. Still, it wouldn't really hurt to see Thornstar interact with his kits...but he hated to figure out what his leader would be around him.

"I'll take you there," Wildfire meowed. "If anything happens, Punykit, I'll be there."

"Okay," Punykit mumbled. "I'm sorry for not speaking much. Vinekit and Finchkit said I'm stupid for talking."

Brownkit playfully nudged his brother. "_They're _the ones being stupid. You never know what you'll say next!"

Wildfire purred at this before wading into the water. "Now come on. Let's get you out of there."

"Too late. Get out of that water right now."

All three of them looked around at the sound of the familiar growling voice. Thornstar was looking down at them from a ledge on the upper shore of the lake. His eyes were narrowed in fury, and his teeth were beginning to curve into a snarl. Wildfire felt like flinching from the glare he was giving; if looks could kill, then these two kits would be fresh-kill by now.

Then as the two kits climbed up onto the bank, Punykit piped up, "Hi Dad!"

However, Thornstar snapped at him, "Shut up, kit! Why did you have to drag your brother out here towards the lake? Oh, I get it...you want to drown him! Is that it?" Punykit was now beginning to look down, and Thornstar must have seen this, for he yelled at him more, "Stop crying right now! You think you've fooled everyone with this little act-"

That was when Wildfire had to step in, recalling the harsh words Birchbranch told him. So he interjected, "Thornstar, he's not fooling anyone...and I don't think he wants to either. I led them out here because we had to wash our paws after putting mouse bile on the elders' fleas and ticks. It's not bad, is it?"

"...I agree...taking care of elders is important in the Clan," Thornstar mumbled, though he did not look pleased at being reprimanded by a warrior of his Clan. "So Brownkit will be grounded for a quarter-moon...and Punykit for a half-moon."

"What?!" Brownkit whined. "But why does Punykit have to be punished longer?"

Thornstar glared down at his brown-pelted son. "Because you shouldn't call him your brother. He'll amount to nothing!"

"Of course he will!" Wildfire interrupted. "Plus, why're you saying this in front of him? He'll be upset at this!"

"Well, good!" Thornstar snarled. But with another glare from Wildfire, he muttered, "Fine...then _both of you_ are grounded for a half-moon. And a half-moon ONLY."

"A half-moon?" Punykit asked. "But why?"

Thornstar glared down at him with hatred. "Don't push it, kit. Now back to camp, the both of you. And Wildfire, get to hunting right now. Or else I'll have you looking after the elders all day today."

The kits nodded and raced back towards camp right away, turning only to say their thanks to Wildfire before leaving. Thornstar followed his sons with a growl, leaving Wildfire standing in the shallow water by himself. Perhaps his leader was right; maybe he should get to hunting. So, wading out of the water and onto shore, he shook himself until his fur was puffed out before turning to go back into the forest.

Wildfire padded around, trying to find a scent, when he heard squeaking from the bushes next to him. Curious, he poked around until he found what had caused the squeaking: a group of mice scurrying around in the inside of the stump. Quickly, he swiped his paw at them and managed to catch three of them before the rest fled out of the stump and into the rest of the forest. He purred at his success and carried all three mice out by their tails, choosing a spot to bury them until he would come to fetch them again. As long as he could remember where he buried them, of course.

He felt in need of relaxation, though, and he decided to jump onto the rocks littered near the old Thunderpath. The forest was really peaceful right now, and he had gotten some hunting done and over with. So what was wrong with a little nap before heading back to camp? Wildfire stretched his forelegs out and then rolled onto his back, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his belly, and wished this relaxation would never end.

Just then, though...he found a centipede crawling nearby amongst the moss and grass on the ground. Wildfire wondered if they were good enough to eat, and besides, any Clan cat could probably like some new fresh-kill every now and again. So he ran over and caught it by surprise, sinking his teeth hard into its body and scraping a claw against its head. The centipede went down quickly due to being caught off guard, and Wildfire picked it up, ready to take it back to camp. As he had started coming out of the forest, he heard a voice call to him.

"Wildfire? Where in StarClan's name you get that centipede?"

It was Badgerclaw, the most senior warrior in ThunderClan. Beside the big gray-striped black tom were Bluefoot (Deerspring's former mentor) and a brown she-cat named Sparrowwing, her apprentice Breezepaw right behind her.

"I was gonna take it back for the kits," Wildfire meowed. "I think they might like centipedes."

Badgerclaw nodded with a grunt. "That's fine, but did you catch anything else?"

Wildfire flicked his tail to where he buried the mice. "Yeah, I caught a few mice over that way and buried them next to that stump," he explained. "I'll be coming back to pick them up after I drop this centipede off. And the mice I got came from a big nest in that stump."

"Aww, you're lucky!" Breezepaw mewed. "I didn't catch anything yet!"

Sparrowwing shushed him by lying her tail on his muzzle before meowing, "We can actually pick them up for you. We haven't caught much just yet anyway as Breezepaw here just said."

"Thanks," Wildfire replied, picking the centipede up and walking off.

A few minutes later, he had made it to the entrance of the camp and was heading inside when Brownkit suddenly came bounding up to him, Riverstep behind him. Confused, Wildfire dropped the dead centipede and watched as Brownkit darted forward to pick it up and run back to the nursery.

"Wildfire!" Riverstep called. "Has Punykit come back yet?"

"No, Thornstar took him and Brownkit back to camp last time I saw them," Wildfire explained. "But why don't you go to Thornstar? He's your mate after all."

Riverstep's eyes narrowed, making Wildfire flinch. Then she replied coldly, "He stopped being my mate the day he named one of my kits Punykit. I confronted him about it the day after they were born, and he told me that he'll leave me and Brownkit alone as long as he doesn't look at Punykit. Plus, Thornstar took him somewhere out of camp, and I'm afraid they might not be back yet!"

Wildfire looked back to the forest. All alone in there, a kit could be easy prey for a predator like a hawk, badger, or fox...or even a dog. He looked back and asked, "Can we gather a patrol up to look for him? More will be better than one or two."

"Let's keep it at a low number," Riverstep suggested. "Some of the Clan doesn't like Punykit because of Thornstar. I'll go get Deerspring and Birchbranch, though."

_Oh no, not Birchbranch! _Wildfire wanted to wail loudly. He did not want his sister's mate to tag along with them, for he couldn't bear being around him for any longer. Ever since he had become a warrior, he always looked down on those who didn't try hard enough...Wildfire himself included. But he knew better than to complain to Riverstep about it, so she went off right away to fetch them.

A minute later, Deerspring and Birchbranch had joined them at the camp entrance, and they went on ahead into the forest. Wildfire, however, decided to stay in the back and look around. The longer he lagged behind, the more he felt at ease on his own for a little bit as he looked around in the forest. The sunrays were shining through the gaps of branches above them, creating a dappled appearance on the forest floor.

"The sooner we find that kit, the better we get back to camp," Deerspring sighed, moving a pile of sticks around.

Riverstep glanced back at the gray she-cat. "He'll be around here; I'm sure of it. He can't have wandered too far."

Wildfire tried looking down by the lakeshore to try and find a scent. But when he got there, there was none he could scent. Punykit could be anywhere as far as he could tell, either around the ShadowClan pine forest or the WindClan moors...or maybe just on the border. But what if he was captured or killed by a passing patrol? If so, then Thornstar would probably not care if his son was missing; instead, he would say that he got what he deserved.

Birchbranch came back from scenting around the Ancient Oak, calling, "No sign of him. I'll get Leafwillow, and maybe she can-"

"Dad! Help me! The fox is gonna get me!"

_Punykit! _Wildfire thought, his ears twitching wildly. Wherever Punykit was, he seemed to be in big trouble with a fox...but why would he be outside of camp if Thornstar brought him and Brownkit back?

"Punykit!" Riverstep yowled, running off towards the noise. "Mama's coming, nutkin!"

"Nutkin?" Birchbranch snorted as they followed her. "Seriously?"

But Wildfire didn't bother to scold him, for he hurried after them and tried not to think about what he and the patrol would find. The screams of the kit got louder as they trudged deeper into the undergrowth, snarling and the stench of fox getting clearer. Then, as they arrived at the old Thunderpath, they spotted something white and orange on the other side of the dirt path.

There, cowering under the porch of the abandoned Twoleg nest and backing up, was Punykit. The young white kit was shivering as two foxes circled around the Twoleg nest, trying to get a hold of him. One of the foxes was smaller and younger; this was probably a mother fox and her pup trying to catch something to eat. Well, Punykit was not going into the belly of any fox today.

Right away, Riverstep sprang at the bigger fox and swiped her claws down the vixen's side, furious at her for attacking her son. The vixen snarled in surprise and anger and whirled around to snap her jaws on her tail, making her yowl in pain. Right away, Birchbranch and Deerspring ran over to the vixen and started giving her claw swipes of their own while Wildfire looked at the younger fox. It was trying to look intimidating, but he could see its ears flattening in fright. He guessed it was the first time this fox had to fight cats, and he didn't want to deal with anymore foxes to deal with.

"Go on," he told it firmly, unsheathing his claws. "Get out of here."

As if on cue, the fox turned tail and ran for the bushes. As for the mother fox, she had just staggered away from the cats, claw marks covering her body and the blood visible on her bright orange fur. She seemed to have noticed that her pup had run off, for she backed away from the cats, gave a threatening bark, and headed off in the direction the younger fox had left.

Once the foxes were gone, Riverstep pulled Punykit out from under the porch and gave him motherly licks, scolding, "Punykit, what was Thornstar thinking, leaving you alone like this? You could've been killed!"

"I'm sorry," Punykit whimpered, looking down at his small paws. "Thornstar said I had to wait here so he could give me a surprise. And then...these foxes came at me! They were big and mean and nasty and scary and-"

"We get it now," Wildfire interrupted him. "We're just happy no extra damage is done. Now let's get back to camp and have Moleclaw take a look at you."

So they made their way back towards camp, Punykit stumbling in every step of the way. Riverstep was the one to stop and pick him up by the scruff, thus being the one to carry him back.

When they made it back to camp a few minutes later, it appeared that news of Punykit's disappearance had spread through the camp like a flood. Every cat was looking around at the rescue patrol as they made it back, padding over to the center of the camp. Warriors muttered something to themselves and each other, apprentices gazed on in awe and mild jealousy, and the elders looked concerned.

"So it looks like the puny kit made it back!" a dark gray tom named Duskpelt jeered from the crowd of warriors.

"He made it back safe and sound," Riverstep told him harshly. "And that's what counts."

"WHAT?! What was that?!"

All of them turned around at the sound of Thornstar's growl. There he was, towering over them as he sat perched on top of the Highledge, glaring angrily down at them. Wildfire did not know why he was so angry with them; they had just driven two foxes out of their territory...so wasn't that good?

As if reading his thoughts, Deerspring asked, "What're you angry about, Thornstar? We drove the foxes out."

"Yeah!" Punykit piped up. "They saved me!"

Thornstar turned his amber eyes onto him as he leaped down the ledge. "That's the point! These warriors weren't supposed to save you! You were supposed to die! But I guess I'll do that myself!"

And with a horrifying yowl, he leaped off of the ledge and headed straight for Punykit.

**_To be continued..._**

**...**

**Cody The Pikachu: Here you go, guys. I hope you all like this story, because I can change it if you don't like it. And Thornstar is such a jerk, huh? Plus, I didn't give most ThunderClan cats a personality because this story won't be focusing on them; they'll focus more on Wildfire, Punykit, and the OCs.**

**So far, it looks like this story is getting to be pretty good, and the next chapter will lead to more drama and possibly action. And maybe one cat might join the journey to that great wide somewhere, but you'll see soon enough. And like I said before, make sure you have up to twenty OCs submitted, because I will stop accepting them once we reach twenty, so submit them now!**

**Read and review, folks! I'm still accepting up to thirtteen more OCs, so if you review, you'll automatically get virtual pizzas and drinks. I do NOT allow flames on this story or any other story, but I WILL accept advice, questions of any kind, and constructive criticism as long as you're nice about it.**

**See ya next time! Oh, and Happy early Independence Day!**


	4. Exile

**Cody The Pikachu: Hey, everyone, and welcome to a new chapter of Journey To A New Clan! I've gotten more than half of the needed OCs in this story so far, so after the other seven are given out, I'll not be accepting anymore for this story.**

**I know that ThunderClan is my favorite Clan in the Warriors series, but I've been wondering what'll happen if they were led by an insane cat. And Thornstar is the answer; he's always been obsessed with order and progress even before Punykit and Brownkit were born. Plus, I was planning on having a senior warrior join the main character in exile, but I think Wildfire would need some character development: helping others with no doubt. So wait until you see who's leaving the Clan.**

**So now that that's said and done, let's get to the disclaimer.**

**Disclaimer: The day I own Warrior Cats is the day I stop liking Avatar: The Last AirBender...which will be never. But that's fine. I wanna be surprised anyway because the true author is full of surprises! Oh, and some OCs don't belong to me; I'll show their authors in the disclaimer in the next chapter.**

**Uploading Date: June 19, 2014 (Garfield's thirty-sixth birthday)**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

_**Exile**_

It seemed as if time and space had stopped as Thornstar leaped hard at Punykit, intending on killing him off for good. Wildfire stepped back until he was between Badgerclaw and Longfur, the latter having moved to the nursery lately. Not one cat was stepping forward, some telling Thornstar to keep at it and others yelling at their leader to stop. But if nothing was done soon, then Punykit could die from his wounds.

_StarClan do something! Why isn't anyone defending him from his own father?!_

"Leave my baby alone, you _monster_!"

At that, Riverstep had ran over and pulled Thornstar off of their kit, slashing at his face with her claws. The dark brown tom snarled in fury and lashed out at her, leaving her to hiss with pain before leaping at him and bowling him over. Vinekit and Finchkit were yelling for Thornstar to win while Applekit looked to the side, unsure of what to do...before finally running off towards the nursery. Deerspring and Birchbranch were doing nothing either, Birchbranch merely watching the scene with cold eyes and Deerspring looking sickened by what the leader was doing.

_Why am I being a coward? I know I can't win against a leader! _Wildfire winced as Thornstar's teeth crunched on the tip of Riverstep's tail, and the light brown she-cat whirled around at him with a vicious swipe to the muzzle. _But if I don't do something, things'll get worse...but what can I do?_

Suddenly, Thornstar grabbed Riverstep by the throat and pinned her down, trying to reach for her neck. Riverstep kept thrashing about, but the claws striking every part of her kept her from moving too far. And just then, when Thornstar reached down and bit hard on her throat, Wildfire couldn't take it anymore.

"Let her go!"

He leaped hard at the battling cats and head-butted Thornstar away from his former mate. Thornstar was briefly caught off guard by this sudden attack, but he recovered in time to kick hard at the younger tom's belly, nearly knocking the breath out of him. Wildfire ran back at him, sank his teeth into the scruff of his neck, and threw him back towards a wall, but Thornstar pushed off the wall and tackled him head-on, head-butting him away. Wildfire found himself running out of breath; the ThunderClan leader seemed to have been trained hard during his apprenticeship, and he found himself agreeing with what he thought before: Thornstar was too tough to beat.

"ENOUGH!"

Moleclaw had arrived, pushing both toms away from each other. "Stop this fighting right now! Calm down!" As they slowly did, the black tom glared at Thornstar, asking, "Now what is all this about?"

"The puny kit passed a test I gave him!" Thornstar growled. "He should've failed!"

"There you go with that attitude again," Moleclaw meowed with a sigh. "And I already told you to change Punykit's name and be more accepting of him. Now if I were leader, then I would-"

But Thornstar cut him off with a snarl. "Oh shut up!" he snarled. "That's treachery you're speaking! Insubordination! I want obedience and loyalty in this Clan! Therefore, you must move to the elders' den, and Silverpaw will be the medicine cat in your place." He glared back at Punykit and then called, "What shall I do with Punykit? Shall I kill him or drive him out?"

At this, there was a caterwaul of noise that was cut short by Riverstep writhing about on the stone ground, choking on her own blood. Wildfire saw her black-furred sister Nightflower gaze down at the young queen in sorrow, and even the grouchy Duskpelt looked saddened and horrified at her end by their own leader. But it was no use for anyone to save her now, for Riverstep laid her head down and breathed her final breath, her eyes blank and blood trickling from her mouth.

Silence blew over the stone hollow as every cat looked down at the broken body of the young queen. Then Wildfire backed away from her body, rasping at the crazy brown tom before him, "Thornstar, you've gone too far. You...you did this to her..."

"I did not!" Thornstar snapped back snootily, kicking her body to the side. "She brought it on herself by birthing that little abomination!"

Just then, Brownkit spoke up, yowling, "You're the whatever you called my brother, Dad! You're always being mean to him...and you killed Mom! I'll never forgive you!"

Thornstar snarled, "I tried my best to shower you with attention, and this is how you repay me?! Then you and your 'brother' are hereby exiled from the Clan! I want you gone by sunset, and if I catch you on my territory tomorrow, then I'll find you and kill you myself!"

"Wait!" Wildfire called. "If your own kits are going into exile, then I'm joining them. I've always felt like I was being trapped here, and I didn't like the way you and Birchbranch treated me...and yeah, I'm talking to you, Birchbranch!" he added, turning to said warrior. "You told me all that horrible stuff, so I'll sling some mud your and Thornstar's way before we go."

Birchbranch didn't even deny anything or snap back at him. Instead, he growled, "Okay, shoot."

Wildfire sighed, wondering what to say next. Finally, he looked up and meowed, "Remember when you call me selfish and lazy whenever I goofed off? Well, _you _and Thornstar are bullies. You always look down on those who do less work than you do. I don't know what Deerspring sees in you, and I know you're nice with her, but you've always picked on me when I was an apprentice. And you said I've fooled everyone with some kind of act...but I never wanted to fool anyone. So now...you've heard what I wanted to say, so now you leave us alone when we leave, and we won't bother you anymore. Besides," he added, looking around sadly, "this isn't the same Clan I grew up in."

"I agree," Moleclaw added. "And Thornstar, I think it's time Leafwillow took over as the leader of ThunderClan. You've clearly shown that you can't lead this Clan with the attitude and state of mind you have now. I think it's your time to retire to the elders' den." Turning to rest of the Clan, he asked, "Who wants Leafwillow to be the leader of ThunderClan?"

"I'm as great as ever!" Thornstar snapped while the Clan began chanting the deputy's name. "I'll lead this Clan into glory!"

But already, Moleclaw was leading him away, leaving the Clan to mutter to themselves. Some of the cats were glaring at Wildfire and the motherless kits while others looked at them sympathetically before walking away. Wildfire didn't care, though; these cats were no longer his Clanmates. He had realized how out-of-place he had felt when he first became an apprentice, and now he felt even more out of place as a warrior.

The two kits were looking up at him with fear, and Wildfire let them gather underneath his belly for comfort. It would be him looking after two kits now...but he had no idea how to raise kits...he was actually a bit like a kit at heart himself. But that also meant that Thornstar would no longer hold him hostage or abuse him as he usually did.

"W-Wildfire?" Punykit spoke up. "You...you didn't have to do that...it's my fault Riverstep's dead..."

"No it's not!" Brownkit insisted, giving his brother's ear a comforting like. "Dad's being crazier than a fox in a fit."

Wildfire tried to purr at the optimism Brownkit had shown, but he could not share it. They had been kicked out of the Clan; how did the little brown kit get like this everyday? And especially after his mother was killed? So he gave a grunt and gathered the kits out from beneath him, ready to head to Moleclaw's den for a final good-bye.

And before he left for outside the camp, he heard Birchbranch growl, "Nice going, Wildfire. Your disobedience cost Riverstep her life, and it's because of you that Thornstar has to retire. Hope you're proud of yourself."

Thus, the sadness and guilt in his heart did not go away.

**...**

Sunset. It would soon be time for Wildfire and the kits to leave camp for good. He had made sure Silverpaw had gotten Punykit's wounds tended to before going outside to find Brownkit. Thornstar's oldest kit had gone outside after hearing that Punykit would be all right, and he wanted to be sure he didn't get into trouble with any other cat after what happened. So he went outside and looked around to see them near Riverstep's body, which was going to be carried away from camp to be buried, and Brownkit was hanging his head, perhaps in mourning for his mother.

"It's going to be okay, Brownkit," the silver tabby she-cat was murmuring, running her tail over the kit's shoulder. "Your mother won't be gone forever. She'll be in your heart just as my grandmother will be for me."

Wildfire sighed and looked down at his forepaws. Now that Moleclaw had been forced to retire by Thornstar, Silverpaw would have to get her full medicine cat name soon, and it would be about time for her due to being the oldest apprentice.

"I-I hope so," Brownkit sighed. "Why did Dad pick on Punykit because of his size? And why did Mom have to die?"

Silverpaw pulled him closer to her. "She died to protect you and your brother from your father. Sometimes bad things happen because of petty reasons, but doing what's right can even triumph over traditional rules. And doing what's right also includes sticking up for Punykit."

"And being a great warrior outside the Clan," Wildfire added.

Both cats looked around at him in surprise as Brownkit asked, "How long were you there?"

Wildfire padded over to him. "Just a little bit. And I also wanted to let you know, Silverpaw, that Punykit's awake."

"Okay, I'll get to him and check on him some more," Silverpaw replied. "And don't forget the list of herbs I gave you. Cobwebs for wounds, burnet for keeping your strength up, marigold for-"

"I get it," Wildfire interrupted politely. "And thanks for doing all this for us, Silverpaw."

They went back inside the den to pick up the herbs and Punykit and said farewell to Silverpaw before heading back outside of the den, walking across the camp. Some cats were mewing goodbye while others deliberately turned their backs on them, and Wildfire couldn't blame them...not entirely anyway. He and the kits walked on with a slow amble, over the ledges of the stone hollow and out past the bramble barrier around the camp. Once they were outside, they walked on until they met up with Moleclaw under a nearby birch tree; the former medicine cat was going to see them off and say his goodbye to them.

Wildfire looked back towards the direction of the ThunderClan camp. That had been the last time he and the kits would ever see it before they left to become rogues. He had never felt more useless until now; how would he try and raise two kits on his own out there? He would have to find a way, though he knew it was not going to be easy. But just before Moleclaw could say his own farewell speech, more voices called out to them.

"Wait!"

Wildfire looked up at the small group of cats coming over to see them go. "Deersplash? Applekit...and Badgerclaw?"

"Sure thing, kid," Badgerclaw meowed with a sympathetic look, his pelt darkened even more under the shade. "You don't think we're gonna let Moleclaw and Silverpaw hog all the goodbyes, do you?"

Deerspring looked ashamed as she murmured, "Wildfire...I heard what Birchbranch told you. You didn't cause those things to happen; Thornstar did that himself. No matter where you go, you'll always be my brother. But...I can't leave Birchbranch either. No matter what you say, I'll still love him."

_Of course, _Wildfire thought bitterly, looking away from his sister. Even after everything that had happened that afternoon, she was still choosing to stay with Birchbranch. To her, he would always be a brave and powerful warrior...but to him, he would always be a great big bully. He distracted himself from that thought by looking over to where Applekit and Punykit were saying goodbye to each other.

"I'm sorry I never spoke up when Finchkit and Vinekit picked on you," Applekit told Punykit. "I was afraid to do so, or else they'd pick on you some more. I just wanna say goodbye now...and good luck finding a new home."

Punykit let her lick his ear. "Thanks, Applekit."

Brownkit gently nudged her. "I hope we see each other again," he told the little gray tortoiseshell. "You're cooler than Vinekit and Finchkit."

"By the way," Moleclaw meowed, looking down at Punykit as they all fell silent, "since Thornstar is no longer the leader of ThunderClan, I think I might give you a new name now. StarClan knows I've wanted to do this since the night you were kitted." He looked up to the sinking sun and rasped with all the wisdom he had shown over the moons, "Spirits of StarClan, you know every cat by name. I ask you now to take away the name from the kit you see before you, for it no longer stands for what he is. With the approval of our warrior ancestors, I give this kit a new name. From this moment on, he will be known as Lionkit, for the wrath of the white lion shall swipe his claws of fury through the thorns that cover ThunderClan." He dipped his head towards them, finishing, "Goodbye, my friends. May we cross paths again someday."

Then the cats who came to see them off called, "Lionkit! Lionkit! Lionkit!"

The newly-named Lionkit looked bashfully down at his paws before looking back up. "Th-Thanks, guys."

"Seriously, thanks," Wildfire added. "For everything."

"No problem," Deerspring meowed. "Now you better hurry and leave before a bigger patrol catches you."

With a final nod towards the ThunderClan cats, Wildfire gathered the kits around him and padded off, leaving the others watching them from their spot before heading back to camp. There would be no going back to the camp anymore, no warm den, no medicine cat, and no clue on where to go.

They were truly alone.

Night fell at last, casting long shadows on the ground. Wildfire had decided to take the kits inside the abandoned Twoleg nest to spend the night before they would move north. He didn't dare take him up those stairs, though; he had no idea what was up there, and he didn't want to know. He gathered some warm woolly stuff like moss and pulled them over to a corner, where they ran over and cuddled inside until they were burrowed deep within it.

"Wildfire...we're hungry," Lionkit mumbled.

Wildfire gently nudged them with his muzzle, knowing that they hadn't eaten since this morning. "I know, Lionkit. I am too, but we need to wait until morning, and then I'll go get us something." He laid down beside them and muttered, "Just try and go to sleep. We'll move off tomorrow morning."

Lionkit took the chance to cuddle closer to his dark tabby pelt while Brownkit wrapped himself deeper into the soft woolly stuff until it looked like he was covered in snow. With a sigh, Wildfire laid his head down on the ground and in between his paws, looking between the two brothers. He could never be their father, but he would try and be the best caretaker he could be...but what if he couldn't?

His mind fully and his belly empty, Wildfire closed his eyes and tried his best to sleep. Thirty minutes later, sleep and Wildfire finally came together.

**_To be continued..._**

**...**

**Cody The Pikachu: I hope you like this chapter...because I really suck at prophecies. Still, if there's anything wrong with this story, let me know, and I'll fix it. Plus, that speech Wildfire gave Birchbranch is basically what happened when that frustration of being picked on finally comes out.**

**Anyways, Wildfire and the kits have been sent into exile! And Thornstar really went into the deep end this time...that means he crossed some serious lines. So the next chapter will introduce the first recommended OCs that will appear in this story; I'm basically gonna go with whichever requests came first. That means that Snowfeather's characters will be the first to appear.**

**Today is Garfield the cat's birthday, so read and review, folks! Anyone who does will get a virtual cake with black-and-orange frosting along with either lasagna or pizza with your favorite drinks. I do NOT allow flames on this story or any other story, but I DO welcome advice, questions of any kind, and even constructive criticism. As long as you're polite about it, of course.**

**See ya next time! And Happy Garfield Day!**


	5. First Companions

**Cody The Pikachu: Hey, everyone, and welcome back to Journey Of A New Clan! As you remember last time, Wildfire and Thornstar's kits have been kicked out of the Clan, and where will they go? I know the answer, but I won't say it yet. And in this chapter, we'll meet the first requested OCs in this chapter. I hope I got their personalities right, because if I don't, let me know, and I'll fix that.**

**Not only that, but we got three more OCs introduced. So all together, we have sixteen OCs out of twenty; four more, and no more (OCs that is)! So...other than that, I don't have anything left to say except the disclaimer here. Now here's the disclaimer and the rest of the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warrior Cats; Erin Hunter does as you all know. Also, Snowfeather is the owner of these four characters: Snow, Blue, Ocean, and Dusk. He/She gets all credit for these four. And ultima-owner's characters may be making their debut in this chapter as well!**

**Uploading Date: June 20, 2014**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

_**First Companions**_

"Hey. Wake up!"

Wildfire groaned and rolled around onto his back, mumbling to himself. He was having a dream, a terrible one about seeing Lionkit and Brownkit being slaughtered with hideous cruelty by Thornstar, and he looked around him to see Lionkit and Brownkit thankfully asleep beside him. With a breath of relief, he looked around at the owner of the voice that woke him up from his slumber.

Sitting before him was a pretty white she-cat, her black tail wrapped around two kits looking out at the former ThunderClan cats from behind her legs. Wildfire sat up right away and ducked his head. He had no idea the abandoned Twoleg nest was not so abandoned after all.

"He smells like a Clan cat, Mama!" a little black kit exclaimed haughtily. "We don't want Clan cats with us!"

"Dusk, it's rude to talk to guests like that. If you want to be rude to something, be rude to the birds," the white she-cat scolded him. Looking back up, she meowed, "I'm sorry if my kits or I disturbed you. We found you sleeping here amongst these blankets, and we were wondering if you or your kits were alive."

"We are, thanks...but they're not my kits," Wildfire mumbled, sitting up. "They're Lionkit and Brownkit, and they were Thornstar's kits before he kicked us out. I'm Wildfire, by the way."

The white cat's blue eyes were wide with shock. "What? Thornstar kicked his own kits out of ThunderClan? How could he do that?"

Wildfire was confused. "Wait, how do you know about the Clans?"

"I was a RiverClan cat a few moons before my kits were born," she admitted. "My warrior name was Snowfeather, though I changed my name to Snow when I left my Clan. I just didn't feel comfortable around other cats after what my mother Swiftshine had done." Seeing him still look confused, she added, "Yes, I left my Clan willingly. I also had a loner mate named Blue, and he understood what I told him about the Clan. So he invited me out of the Clan, and as you can see the kits here, the rest is history."

"I'm happy Mossystar didn't banish you," Wildfire meowed sincerely, happy to have a fellow Clan cat with him...though she was RiverClan. "So who are your kits?"

The little black kit named Dusk hissed, "None of your business, ThunderClan!"

"Hey, don't be rude!" the second kit, a bluish-white she-kit, retorted. "Anyways, the annoying furball is my brother Dusk, and I'm Ocean."

"Hey!" Brownkit had leaped out of the blanket and headed over to them. "I'm Brownkit, and my brother Lionkit's sleeping in the woolly stuff."

"It's called a blanket," Dusk sniffed.

Wildfire got up when he felt a wriggling beside him and looked down. Lionkit was still asleep, twitching and mewling pitifully in his sleep as if he was having a nightmare. So he laid a paw on the kit's shoulder and gently shook him, meowing, "Wake up. You're having a nightmare."

Lionkit popped his head up, his blue eyes looking around wildly as if looking for something. He then mewled, "Who are these cats? Are they gonna eat us?"

"No, we won't eat you," Snow purred gently. "I'm Snow, and these are my kits, Ocean and Dusk. You four can play together if you want."

"By the way, what's an ocean?" Wildfire asked. "Is it something you eat?"

Snow purred in amusement. "No, you silly mouse-brain," she meowed. "Blue taught me that the water at the sun-drown-place is actually called the ocean. He told me there were other lands across the ocean, and many things live in it. Including large fish that could swallow a cat in one gulp!"

That made Lionkit squeak in alarm and burrow back in the blanket. Wildfire sighed and shook his head; it was because of Thornstar that the little white kit was scared of the big wide world outside the ThunderClan camp. But perhaps with Snow around and even some sassiness from Dusk, he could learn to be braver.

"Snow! Kits! I'm back!"

A deep guttural voice had echoed through the Twoleg nest, and Snow sat up straight while the kits wiggled their tails excitedly. Wildfire wrapped his own tail around Lionkit and Brownkit to protect them from whatever was coming into this place.

Then, approaching them with a large rabbit in his jaws, was a powerful-looking tomcat. He was a large cat with bluish gray fur, scars all over his body as if he had fought in many battles, and eyes the color of bright leaves in greenleaf. When he noticed Wildfire and Thornstar's kits sitting amongst the blankets, he dropped the rabbit onto the floor, his teeth bared as his battle-scarred pelt began bristling.

"Who are you?" he snarled, towering over the former ThunderClan cats. "And why're you here?"

"I'm sorry," Wildfire meowed, dipping his head to the larger cat. "We were just resting here until we got our strength back. Then we'll be on our way."

"Good," the big tom growled. "We don't want anymore loners joining us. We got enough cats in our group."

"Blue, why don't you let him stay with us for a little while? He's a Clan cat like I used to be," Snow protested. "Besides, he told me his leader kicked him out."

Blue snorted. "What? Why would he do that? Sounds like a big waste of time."

Snow nodded. "I agree, but can they stay with us for now?" she begged. "Please? They only came here last night, and we've been here for a few sunrises."

For the first time since they met him, Blue's face softened a bit as he looked into his mate's eyes. He appeared to be wary and aggressive towards strangers, but he also showed a lot of love and affection towards Snow...unlike Thornstar and Riverstep. But if Blue didn't really want them here, he could chase them off or injure them...or worse. He certainly had the power to.

"Aww, you always get me with those beautiful eyes of yours," Blue finally purred. Turning to Wildfire, he cleared his throat and growled, "Okay, you can stay with us for a while. But don't expect me to hunt for you all the time, and I won't be playing babysitter for the other two kits either. Got it?"

"Don't worry, I can help out," Wildfire replied, dipping his head to the larger cat. "And thanks. I better get hunting right away."

At this, he got up from the blanket, gave a big stretch, and made his way out towards the entrance to the abandoned Twoleg nest. Wildfire glanced back at Brownkit and Lionkit, who were watching him go with wide eyes, while Ocean bounded up to them and playfully tackled Brownkit. Blue was watching him go with narrowed eyes and a snort while Snow looked rather friendly as she scooted over closer to her mate.

Wildfire suddenly felt easy around the former RiverClan cat and her family. Blue had the same gruffness Birchbranch had, but then again, they had just met; perhaps he could be easier to know once they hung around more often. As for Snow, she had the same motherly instinct Riverstep had except that she was less battle-scarred than the gray she-cat. Ocean and Dusk even looked like potential playmates for Lionkit and Brownkit...except that Dusk seemed disdainful towards the Clanborn kits. Perhaps if they made something like a Clan one day, they could survive together without the need of the four Clans. So, with a lighter heart, he headed outside and back into the forest, where the sun hadn't even started fully rising yet.

Remembering that ThunderClan cats could be patrolling around here, he decided to head over to the woods behind the nest and find something there. That way, no Clan cat would accuse him of stealing prey from them. So far, the scent markers were stale around these parts, so that left the cats in the Twoleg nest up to plenty of hunting with little to no interference...except for perhaps foxes and badgers. Wildfire found a few more rocks he could rest on, but he couldn't rest now. The kits needed food, and they were still on ThunderClan territory; Leafwillow was the new leader last time he saw, but he wasn't sure she would go easy on him for still being around here.

A flash of brown caught his eye, and he noticed something rarely seen in ThunderClan territory: a pheasant strutting around, its long tail feathers bouncing with every step it took. This could be the largest piece of fresh-kill he could have ever caught for himself or anyone else, and Wildfire felt his mouth water at the thought of warm pheasant meat in between his jaws...but then grimaced. The only thing he hated about eating wild meat was that it got stuck in his teeth, and he had rather crooked teeth.

"Well, it's now or never," Wildfire muttered to himself. "Lionkit and Brownkit need something to eat...and that pheasant is looking tasty."

So he crouched low in the grass and crept closer until he was in striking range, the pheasant getting nearer and nearer. Finally, lifting himself up from the grass, Wildfire pounced hard onto the pheasant's back, making the large bird squawk in alarm and run around. He held on tight by sinking his claws into its back to make sure he did not fall off and lose it, but the pheasant running around was rocking him back and forth as he tried to reach for its throat.

Just then, however, another cat pounced just at the same time as he did and landed the first blow, crunching the pheasant's neck in his teeth. The bird gave one final squawk and collapsed to the ground, dead. Wildfire stared at shock at the cat that now stood before him; his black pelt made him invisible in the shadows of the undergrowth, and his blue eyes were glittering angrily.

"What're you playing at?" he snarled as he stepped out of the shadows. "That's _my_ prey you're stalking."

"It's ThunderClan prey!" Wildfire retorted, trying to bluff.

The tom looked unimpressed. "But are you a ThunderClan cat?"

Wildfire knew that the tom had seen through the bluff. With a sigh, he muttered, "No."

"Then who are you to tell me what I can or can't catch?" The tom then stalked forward and growled, "I'm taking this to Old Bones. DON'T go following us!"

"No need, Sparrow. I can find my way around fine."

Both cats turned around at the sound of the raspy voice. An old tomcat had stepped out of the bushes...and he looked older than the oldest elder. His gray pelt was flecked with white hairs, and his muzzle had completely paled with age. His eyes were a cloudy white, which made Wildfire gasp. This cat was _blind_; what was a blind cat doing out here? Wildfire had to admire the way he held his head up. It was as if he had gotten used to being blind and find his way around without his eyesight.

"Old Bones!" Sparrow meowed in surprise, heading over to him. He then told him in a gentler voice, "Shouldn't you be in the den resting?"

Old Bones shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I may be blind, but I can let my nose and ears lead me around. When you get to be my age, you'll have no need for eyes." But then, he raised his nose and sniffed, rasping, "I sense a new cat nearby. Who is it?"

Sparrow glared around at Wildfire. "Leaving, that's who he is. He was trying to steal our prey."

"Hmm..." Old Bones limped over to Wildfire and sniffed his pelt warily. Finally, he rasped, "Let him have the pheasant. You needn't worry about me. I just want to feel some meat on this young'un's bones."

"I'm not that skinny," Wildfire confessed. "But seriously, I'm sorry I didn't know about you before. You can keep it."

"Really?" Sparrow asked in disbelief. "You're giving us this feast? For a ThunderClan cat, you're quite mild."

Wildfire backed away some more. "I'm not a ThunderClan cat anymore. The leader's kits and I were banished because Thornstar went insane." He then turned around and finished, "Besides, elders, kits, and queens eat before warriors and apprentices; that's what the warrior code says. And I'm sorry to bother you guys. See ya around...I guess."

He padded back into the bushes, intending to find something else for the kits, something he wouldn't have to fight another cat over. And he knew just the thing.

**...**

"So that's it? You just caught two shrews?"

Wildfire had left Sparrow and Old Bones alone and hunted a bit more. But all he found was a nest filled with two shrews, and he caught them with relative ease. From what Blue had just told him now, these weren't enough to fill the kits' bellies.

"Go easy on him, sweetie," Snow told Blue with a nudge. "He's tried his best."

Blue sighed and looked down at her. "I know, sweetheart, but we can't shelter them in here forever. We gotta get moving soon."

"Besides, shrews taste gross!" Dusk added, making a face in the process.

However, Snow told him, "Don't disrespect prey, Dusk."

"Yeah," Ocean meowed. "I don't think you'd like it if anyone disrespected the rocks you like playing with."

"I get it." Wildfire looked around at Lionkit and Brownkit, who had already eaten the shrews and were gazing hungrily at the leftover rabbit Ocean and Dusk had eaten earlier. "I'll get something else."

And with that, he started heading out the house...as Blue called it. Fending for kits and living alongside loners was going to be tougher than he imagined.

Just as he stepped out of the house, he felt his paw step on something furry and looked down. Before him was the body of a rabbit, freshly-killed by the look of it. And right before him was Sparrow, his blue eyes thoughtful as if he was thinking of something while he looked down at the rabbit.

"I guessed you saying that the weakest cats eat first meant that those kits of that crazy cat must be hungry," Sparrow meowed, taking his eyes off the fresh-kill. "So here. Take this rabbit...but don't expect me to hunt for you ever again. Got it?"

"Thanks very much," Wildfire meowed gratefully. "The shrews weren't enough to fill their bellies."

Then Sparrow added, "And who in the heck throws their own kits out of the Clan? That's what I want to know."

"Thornstar's just crazy, that's all." Snow had appeared at the entrance of the den, Blue and the four kits trailing behind her. "And besides, what in StarClan's name did Thornstar want to throw his kits out for?"

"He hated me because I'm a runt," Lionkit muttered. "He also said I shouldn't live."

"That's a load of dung!" Dusk suddenly meowed. "Don't listen to him!"

Ocean nodded. "Yeah, we heard about him from Mom. She said she saw him at that island before, and he was mean to her."

"It's the Gathering...and we won't be going to those anymore," Wildfire replied. He looked over at Lionkit and Brownkit as he went on, "But maybe I'll take you there when you're old enough, and you can see it through the bushes. Does that sound okay?"

Lionkit nodded. "It's fine."

"Sure," Brownkit mewed, wagging his tail.

Blue, in the meantime, looked around. "We can't stay in this Twoleg nest any longer. Clan cats could be lurking about." He padded east of the place and went on, "We should head upstream to where the beavers used to live."

Wildfire had heard the story before, how all four Clans had briefly united to find the source of whatever had caused the lake to dry up. That was the beavers, large flat-tailed brown rodents that created a dam to contain water, thus drying up the lake. Plus, he was relieved that Blue appeared to be a leader of sorts; he wanted to be more of a follower than a leader.

"So when should we leave?" he piped up.

"Excuse me?" Blue growled, glaring at him. "_We _leave? I said you could stay with us for a little bit at the nest. But after that, nope. Besides, we don't need three more mouths to feed," he added as he unsheathed his claws.

Wildfire backed away at that. Those claws appeared to be long and sharp like those of tigers told in tales.

"Oh, stop it, Blue!" Snow interjected. "Didn't you hear what I said? His leader kicked him and _his own kits _out of the Clan! As least let him travel with us for a while; he can hunt for himself and those kits, and we can hunt for our own."

"Um...where do we fit in?" Sparrow spoke up. "Do Old Bones and I gotta travel with you or what? I just wanna find some place away from the Clan cats."

Blue turned to glare at him. "How can we look after even more cats who wanna join us? This Wildfire cat wants to come with us, and I've been trying to get him off our backs before we move on."

"I heard that," Wildfire retorted, ears pinned against his head.

Sparrow stepped back. "It's fine. I was just saying maybe we should split up into groups, that's all. That way, there won't be too much cats to worry about."

Snow nodded. "He's got a point."

"Hrm..." Blue padded away from them, mumbling to himself and casting suspicious looks at Sparrow and Wildfire. Finally, he sat back down and growled, "Okay. We stay in separate groups...as long as you stay far FAR away from us."

"Fine with me," Sparrow meowed, backing away and into the bushes. Then before he went completely into the undergrowth, he added, "And by the way, Old Bones came up with the idea, saying that something cool might appear in the end. Be sure to thank him once we get there."

"We will," Snow called after him. "And thank you! I think it's a great idea!"

Blue sighed. "Following the words of an old timer? Where's the world coming to these days? Next, you'll be telling me it'll snow in greenleaf."

So after Sparrow finally left, the three cats gathered up the four kits, and down the stairs they went. They padded on through the woods until they arrived at the stream that bordered ThunderClan with ShadowClan. Speaking of ShadowClan, they had arrived at the clearing that had been won back by ShadowClan moons after Bramblestar's reign as leader came to an end. Making sure no ShadowClan cats were around, Blue kinked his head towards upstream and led the way, Snow and her kits following behind him while Wildfire took the rear, letting the kits move ahead of him.

The journey had finally come.

**_To be continued..._**

**...**

**Cody The Pikachu: Here you go, guys, and to Snowfeather and ultima-owner, I hope I got their personalities right. If there's not, let me know, and I'll change them. Speaking of that, if there's anything you don't like about this chapter, let me know, and I'll fix it...but be polite about it.**

**All you Legend Of Korra fans reading this FanFic, I have great news! The Legend Of Korra Book 3 will be coming out next Friday! I heard there was already an English preview on YouTube, but I'm just gonna wait until I see it; I like being surprised. Who knows what else we'll see on there besides new AirBenders, Combustion Woman, the evil Earth Queen, and Korra learning MetalBending? And...sorry I went that far. Besides that, the journey to where the streams connect has finally begun; which cats will they meet along the way? I know the answer, but you'll have to find out next chapter.**

**Read and review! Those who do so will get virtual plush dolls of their favorite characters on this story or Legend Of Korra. I don't allow any flames, but I DO welcome advice, questions of any kind, and constructive criticism as long as you're polite about it.**

**See ya next time! And Happy early Independence Day!**


	6. The Kit And The Hawk

**Cody The Pikachu: Hey there, everyone, and welcome back to Journey Of A New Clan! First off, we got so much character requests that I can't really count them! I'm not a good counter; after all, math isn't really my can of soda. So now, we got all our characters, and I won't be accepting any more OCs! Second, thank you all for reading and reviewing this story; we got thirty-two reviews so far!**

**Third, I've figured that the two groups could split up and find other cats who could help them out on their journey. That way, making the new Clan could be easier. But there could be some around their new destination who won't journey with them, so they'll appear around there and be asked to join the new Clan. Plus, a new character will appear in this chapter, and I might make it happen too for a couple of chapters.**

**Disclaimer: Again, I don't own Warrior Cats or the idea; they belong to Erin Hunter. I only own this story and some characters, but other characters belong to Snowfeather and ultima-owner. And one of Captured Spirits' characters will finally appear on here, and I give all these authors full credit for their characters.**

**Uploading Date: June 23, 2014**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

**_The Kit And The Hawk_**

It felt good to be on the road, Wildfire had been thinking, as he watched Lionkit and Brownkit playing with Ocean and Dusk by the stream. Everyone seemed to be getting along so well despite Blue and Dusk's brash behavior, and he found himself freer than he ever felt while living in ThunderClan. Besides, he saw how well Blue led the group and was more than happy to stay at the back of the pack where he could keep an eye out on danger. That, and he had always liked sticking to the back of border patrols so he could think of stuff.

Suddenly, he saw Dusk lead Brownkit over to a little ledge by the edge of the stream, and they both looked down. A tiny fish popped up and amazingly squirted water at Brownkit, spraying him with water and surprising him. The little brown tom fell back with a cry, and Dusk was seen laughing only to then be scolded by Snow. Wildfire felt his fur bristle at this; sure, it was merely a harmless prank, but it still left a sore spot in his mind as it slightly reminded him of how Finchkit and Vinekit would always make fun of Lionkit.

"We should make a new rule in the warrior code," he told himself as Snow continued to scold Dusk. "And that's to ban bullying."

"What was that?" Blue asked, stopping to look back at him.

Wildfire shrugged. "Nothing."

Blue still looked suspiciously back at him, but he just shrugged back and continued walking.

After the scolding had passed, the cats had decided to stop by the woods to try and hunt for a bit. Blue had suggested he and Wildfire hunt together, for Snow had caught a few fish and was now sharing them with the kits. Wildfire remembered that Snow used to be a RiverClan cat who had run away from her Clan to be with Blue, yet what she learned in RiverClan could also help the small group.

The two grown toms headed deeper into the woods, where they arrived at a clearing dappled in sunhigh sunlight. There, they spotted a group of starlings squawking and pecking at the ground for some worms and other insects. Next to Wildfire, Blue laid down on his belly and writhed around, still keeping an eye on the starlings. After getting into position, Wildfire leaped out from the bushes and out towards the startled starlings, snagging one by the wing and bringing it down to the ground while the flock flew off.

"Good catch," Blue remarked with a grunt after Wildfire delivered the final blow to the bird. "Mind if I give you a tip, though?"

Wildfire nodded. "Go ahead."

Blue laid down on his belly once again and began rolling around in the leaves. When he got back up, the large tom meowed, "Next time, roll yourself around in leaves. The mulchy scent can throw your scent off of the prey's nose. That way, they won't sense you coming."

"Wow...my mentor never taught me that," Wildfire remarked.

"Well, you learn something new everyday," Blue replied, though his voice often sounded like he was more likely growling. More snappily, he added, "Now are we hunting or sitting here until I hold your paw?"

The younger dark tabby nodded again before he buried the starling under an oak tree, and they split off into separate directions. Wildfire took the more wooded area while Blue took a rocky path where snakes and lizards were bound to crawl. Along the hunting trip, Wildfire had spotted some deer grazing nearby and saw how relaxed the mother doe was while the white-spotted fawn frolicked around her, prancing around on long spindly legs; he guessed herbivores didn't have to worry about eating since their food was all around them. But he knew he shouldn't have to worry about deer; cats never worried about deer after all. Leaving the doe and her fawn alone, he trudged on through the undergrowth.

Wildfire had arrived at a larger clearing, Blue appearing in the bushes not too far away from him. Before them and out over by some rocks was a hawk. The large bird of prey was trying to reach its talons down into the crack of one rock to reach the prey inside.

"Look at what that hawk is getting," Blue remarked as he slowly licked his chops. "Extra prey. We can use that prey to distract the hawk, and then we catch them. It'll be like killing two birds with one stone as they say."

But suddenly, a mew rang out from the rocks, and Wildfire realized what it was. That was no prey...that was a kit. A closer look told him that the kit was trying to hide in the rocks, flecks of ginger and white standing out on her black pelt. What Wildfire was seeing reminded him of how Thornstar left Lionkit out by the abandoned Twoleg nest to be killed by foxes, and it would stir up a bad memory in Lionkit if he was here to see it.

"It's a kit, not prey!" Wildfire howled, springing out from the bushes and heading for the hawk. With a snarl, he sprung hard off of his hind paws and landed hard on its back as he lashed out with his claws.

The hawk must not have been aware of this, for it cawed in surprise as Wildfire sprang out at it. It turned around and tried to swipe its talons out at him, catching him slightly on the ear and making him reel back. But he shook it off and charged into the hawk, and it squawked as he barreled into it, crashing into the ground before he went on. Out of the corner of his eye, Wildfire thought he could see Blue heading towards the spot he was at before he went into the rocks to check on the kit in there.

When he got closer to the kit, he gasped when he saw her clearly for the first time. Scars were laced all over her body, and she was shivering in pure fright as she looked up at him. He had no idea who would want to do this to her, but he was amazed at how long she had survived out here on her own.

Bending down to lick the top of her head, he murmured, "It's okay. We're gonna get you out of here."

The kit didn't speak out of fear, but she merely nodded quickly. He bent down some more and picked her up by the scruff, watching Blue run out into the open to fight against the hawk, and darted into the bushes to lay her down gently. When he was done with that, however, he looked back in time to see his traveling companion being snatched up in the bird's talons.

But Blue proved to be quite a fighter. He twisted around in the hawk's talons and turned to give the bird's head a hard kick, making the hawk scree in shock while Blue landed on the ground below. Once the hawk was dazed, the blue-furred tom pounced hard onto it, raking his hind claws on its wings while he went for the throat. In a matter of seconds, the hawk was finally down for the count, and the large cat picked it by the wing.

"Go take that kit to the others," Blue mumbled through the mouthful of hawk feathers. "I'll go bury this."

Wildfire nodded and gently grabbed the kit's scruff in his jaws again, watching while Blue took the hawk over to the trees, as he started heading back towards the stream. To the side, he could see Brownkit and Lionkit playing around with Dusk and Ocean, and to his relief, Lionkit seemed to get braver the farther away he was from Thornstar and ThunderClan. As for the speckled kit in his teeth right now, perhaps she could grow stronger to play games like Fight The Dog or Pounce.

"Wildfire? How'd the prey...oh my StarClan!" Snow had arrived and spotted the kit dangling from his jaws. He let the kit go, and she rushed over and hugged her close to her as she mewed, "You poor thing! What happened to you?"

"Iris. Other cats hated me," the kit mumbled, lowering her eyes. "My mama and papa are dead...dogs got them..."

Wildfire sat Iris down and gazed down at her. "Stupid dogs...what were dogs doing out in the open?"

Snow glanced up at him, her paw still on Iris' shoulder. "Didn't your mentor teach you that? Twolegs often let their dogs loose in the woods, though I'd like to know why she and her parents were around them...after taking some herbs. Thank StarClan Lightberry taught me some medicine stuff before I left."

"Yeah," Wildfire murmured. To the watching kits, he asked, "Can you guys go get some herbs? Cobwebs just in case of fever...and see if there are any poppies. We can use their seeds right now. Just stay close to the stream."

Lionkit and Brownkit nodded and ran off, leaving Ocean and Dusk staring curiously at Iris. Wildfire could see that she was just a moon younger than Brownkit and Lionkit, and it wouldn't be long before they would be apprenticed. As for Ocean and Dusk, they were around the same age, so they could start learning what an apprentice could do around a Clan.

So he turned to them and meowed, "As for you two, go see if they need any help."

"No need for that." Blue had come out of the bushes with a grunt, hawk feathers covering his mouth. "As soon as you get that kit worked on, come with me. I got a hawk that needs some eating."

"You want us to haul it back?" Wildfire asked.

Blue suddenly glared at him. "No. I told you before that you could come with us until we left ThunderClan territory, and we have. We never needed you Clan cats, and we never will."

"Blue!" Snow's pretty blue eyes were filled with a combo of rebuke, shock, and dismay.

"Snow, you know we can't support more than our family. We gotta put this family first," Blue told her with a gentler meow. "Then after Ocean and Dusk move on to bigger pastures, then we can spend the rest of our days together. And that doesn't mean accepting other cats into our group," he added with a harsher growl, glaring around at Wildfire.

"Well, I'm sorry we wasted your time!" Wildfire found himself growling. "I just thought we could get to know each other better, and then we could-"

However, Blue cut him off sharply, "Do what? Form a Clan? As far as I care, Clans and loners don't mix. Snow is an exception since she's my mate and I love her, but no more Clan cats in this group."

Wildfire then snarled, "Then GO! We don't need you anyways!" But as Blue snorted contemptuously and stomped back into the bushes, he turned back to Snow and meowed, "I'm sorry for yelling at him, but he just got on my nerves."

Snow sighed and nodded. "It's fine; he's always like that with cats he just knew. And I'm sorry we won't be travelling together, Wildfire." She dipped her head to him and finished, "May StarClan guide your paws to your destination."

"You too," Wildfire replied, dipping his head back to her. He bent down and grabbed Iris by the scruff again, meowing through a mouthful of fur, "Cm on, Irs."

He gave Snow one more regretful look before padding alongside the stream, not looking back once.

It looked like Wildfire was on his own again...with not two, but THREE kits to look after all by himself. He had never felt more helpless; he had been a warrior for only five moons until yesterday, and despite looking at the queens caring for their kits, he had no idea how to do that. He knew they needed food and love, but what about the other necessities a kitten would need? Shelter perhaps, but he had no idea what other games they would want to play...that, and he wasn't the type to play with other cats around him.

"I'm getting hungry," Iris mewed, licking her lips a little.

Wildfire set her down into a clump of ferns and replied, "Okay. I'm gonna go get that starling I caught earlier and bring it over."

He turned and headed back into the woods, where he saw Blue and his family heading the opposite direction, Ocean and Dusk asking questions. The two groups were most likely never going to see each other again, but at least Sparrow and Old Bones were friendly enough. Wildfire wondered if it was too late to try and find them...and it most likely was, for the two loners had already gone a separate path. Soon, he found the starling he caught earlier and dug it up, picking it up and heading back to the stream where Iris was. He had just set it down and watched her eat carefully when he heard familiar voices.

"Wildfire!" Brownkit was haring after him, Lionkit trying to keep up with herbs in his mouth. "Wildfire, Wildfire, Wildfire, Wildfire, WILDFIRE!"

"WHAT?!" Wildfire meowed loudly, turning to the kits.

The two stopped and shared looks before Brownkit mewed, "Um...the sky looks blue today."

"And we hadn't seen Blue since you came back with the kit," Lionkit added while his brother started thinking. "We thought he'd be back with herbs, but we hadn't seen him for a few hours. We tried looking for them."

"Oh yeah, now I remember!" Brownkit meowed at last. "He took Snow and their kits with him! They left us!"

Wildfire sighed, scooping Iris closer to him. "I know...and good riddance. Now let's go."

He was in such a bad mood that Lionkit and Brownkit didn't question him anymore about Blue and Snow. Wildfire felt bad about how he was turning his disappointment and anger on the kits, but he would make up to them later on with a special treat. What that was, though, he did not know. Plus, there was one advantage of being alone like this: no one could tell him what he could or couldn't do.

While on the path to the destination, the sun was already setting, and Wildfire had stopped for the night and applied the herbs to Iris. The little speckled black kit sighed in relief after she had eaten a few poppy seeds.

"Thanks," she mewed. "No one's ever cared for me like that for a while..."

"Can you tell us what happened to you?" Wildfire asked.

Beside him, Lionkit and Wildkit were gazing curiously at her with bright eyes. Even Lionkit gazed at her in pity and mewed, "I know that feeling", while Brownkit nudged him gently.

Iris yawned loudly. "I'm feeling sleepy...I think I'll go to bed."

_Maybe tomorrow then, _Wildfire thought when he heard Iris breathing evenly while she slept. Lionkit and Brownkit settled down beside her, and Iris twitched once while the others settled in just fine. Wildfire laid down beside them, wrapping his tail around them until they fell fast asleep, their snoring sounding like a short gust of wind.

Once he cleared his mind for the night, he fell asleep.

_**To be continued...**_

**...**

**Cody The Pikachu: Here we go, everyone! I hope you like this chapter; if not, let me know, and I'll fix it. Plus, ****I had gotten some good advice from darkmoonrise312, and I've fixed up some things that otherwise wouldn't make sense. Anyone else who has advice like that let me know, and I'll get to fixing the mistakes I made.**

**Plus, we'll be getting a character showing up, and he/she will PROBABLY be a grandson/daughter of one of the characters from the original Warriors series. I won't tell you who it will be, but I CAN tell you who the OC's author is: Kat7685. So we will give all credit for this author for this character, who WILL be appearing next chapter. Speaking of character, Snow and her family won't be back for a little bit, but they most certainly will return.**

**Remember to read and review, folks! Anyone who reviews this story will get virtual figurines of your favorite Legend Of Korra character since today's been two years since Book 1 came to an end. I do NOT allow any flames on this story or any other stories, but I WILL accept advice, questions of any kind, or constructive criticism as long as you're polite about it.**

**See ya next time! And Happy early Independence Day!**


	7. A Friend In Need Is A Friend Indeed

**Cody The Pikachu: Hey there, everyone, and welcome to a new chapter of Journey Of A New Clan! I've taken a short break from this story, but I'm back and ready to upload some more chapters! This time, in this chapter, we'll be introducing characters made by RollingUpHigh and Kat7685. I just wanted to take a short break before getting back to uploading this story, and here we go!**

**That means, I'm sorry I don't have much to say at the moment...except to say that I saw the Legend Of Korra Book 3 premiere some Fridays ago. I'm looking forward to new episodes in the not-too-distant future!**

**Disclaimer: Remember, I don't own Warrior Cats. I own some characters, but plenty other OCs here belong to many others, and I give them full credit for it.**

**Uploading Date: July 28, 2014**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

**_A Friend Is A Friend Indeed_**

Morning had arrived, and Wildfire had woken up to hunt for himself for a bit. The kits were still sleeping in a bunch, and it looked as if Iris had gotten used to sleeping around with the other kits, her breathing regular now. Wildfire yawned once, still feeling the sleepiness in his eyes and trying to paw at his face. Perhaps he would have to wait for a little bit for hunting so he could fully wake up. He looked over to the stream nearby and padded closer, it looked deep enough for a cat to stand on his or her hind legs underwater. If RiverClan cats could make this look easy, then he could too.

Wildfire now believed he was going to look foolish for this, but he wanted to relax. He had been taking care of the kits for a few days, and he believed he deserved a break from the usual duties. So he pawed at the water and flinched a bit at the coldness that followed, but he didn't want to stop now. The tabby tom inched closer and closer until his body was getting used to the cool water. Perhaps this was what RiverClan cats felt when they were in the water: relaxed as a fish.

He had just slipped into the water completely and sighed in relaxation when the voices of the kits reached his ears as they got closer. Wildfire sighed and climbed out, hoping to have some alone time before this happened.

"Wildfire!" Lionkit was calling as Brownkit followed him. "Wildfire, you're not gonna believe this! We don't have to hunt!"

"What?" Wildfire shook the water from his pelt and meowed, "I was just taking a little soak here. And what do you mean by you don't have to hunt?"

Brownkit shared an excited look with his brother. "Someone got food for us!"

Wildfire tried to scan their faces to see if they were playing a prank or not. When they still looked sincere, he meowed, "You're kidding, right?"

"No, someone really DID hunt for us!" Brownkit chirped. "I bet it was Snow!"

Lionkit shook his head. "No way! I bet she, Blue, and the others are far away by now!"

"Okay, we'll go back," Wildfire meowed, stopping the chatter. "If there isn't caught prey there, then you'll be in trouble for lying."

**...**

"Well...looks like I owe you two an apology."

They had come back to the nest they were sleeping in, which was decorated with different kinds of fresh-kill. The pieces of prey in the pile included a mouse, a vole, a squirrel, and a finch. But there was still one piece left for one more cat; where was the one who caught this at? But then he saw Iris wriggle her way out of the nest and take a look at the prey, dragging over a mouse.

"Morning, Iris," Wildfire greeted her. "Did you see who caught this prey?"

Iris shook her head. "No. I was sleeping."

Wildfire nodded slightly before looking back at the fresh-kill. "Well, we better find this cat and thank them for this."

"Ah, it's no problem. I've taught Chas and Terry well."

The voice came from the bushes not far from their sleeping spot, and Wildfire stepped out in front of the kits, ready to protect them. Then the voice spoke again, "Hey, I don't eat kits. They'd be too stringy for me."

"You ate a baby weasel once, Puck!" a younger female voice mewled.

Then two young cats stepped out of the bushes, still talking with the older voice who was speaking. They looked like they were around apprentice-age or perhaps a little bit more than that, and they did look as frisky as any Clan apprentice. One of them had long legs and a reddish tabby pelt with a white muzzle, chest, and paws while the other was smoky gray with a plumed tail like a fox's.

"Hey Puck!" the young red tabby mewed as he turned to the bushes, his green eyes wide. "You weren't kidding when you said this guy is big. But he's skinny!"

"I'm not that large," Wildfire insisted. "But we HAVE been getting hungry, so thanks again. How long were you spying on us, by the way?"

The gray she-cat mewed, "We're not spies. Back where we come from, a friend in need is a friend indeed. Right, Puck?"

The owner of the voice finally came out of the bushes, a mottled tom with patches of ginger and red along with a long tail and long legs. He looked around and purred, "Got that right, Terry. By the way, stranger," he meowed, looking at Wildfire, "I'm Puck. The red tabby is my little brother Chas, and the gray cat here is Terry, his best friend and partner in crime."

"Partner in crime?" Iris asked. "For what?"

"Mischief," Terry replied. "You know, jokes and all that stuff. Like...hey you, you with the white fur. You got a big ol' beetle crawling on your face."

Right away, Lionkit leapt away, yelping in shock and looking around to see if there really was a beetle crawling all over him. When he settled down, he fell back with a laugh, and everyone joined in. Wildfire liked these youngsters' sense of humor; as long as they weren't bullies, they were fine with him.

"I guess he needed a joke like that," Brownkit mewed once everyone settled down. "We haven't had a good one in moons."

"Why, what happened?" Puck asked, sitting down.

Lionkit looked slightly subdued, and Wildfire wrapped his tail around his shoulders to assure him. Once the kits were settled, he began on how Thornstar rejected Lionkit due to his size and named him Punykit to spite him further. Puck and his youngsters shared a shocked look before he went in further on with the story, like how Thornstar plotted on leaving Lionkit alone so that foxes would kill him.

"I wish I were there!" Chas spoke up when Wildfire finished. "I would've kicked his tail from here to way over there! He can't treat kids like that!"

"But he could beat you up," Terry added. "Clan cats are tough."

Chas snorted. "Clan, schmlan! He's a bully!"

"And that's why we were exiled," Wildfire added. "Well...how they were exiled and I joined them. We've had a family join us yesterday, but they left on the same day."

Puck was looking over at Lionkit and Brownkit. "Poor kids," he mumbled. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah, thanks," Brownkit mewed. "I didn't really like Dad too much. Not after how he treated Lionkit."

"You should see Raven sometime. Why don't you come with us and meet her?" Puck meowed. "We met her only a few days ago, and she's really good with kits. And she even said she's been to the place the Clans used to live so many moons ago."

**...**

"Back where I come from...well, I don't come from anywhere because I lived with nomads, and we moved around a lot," Puck explained as they padded down the forest path. "Anyways, back where I come from, we don't allow ANY bullying in our group. Those who get caught would have to leave us for a week, and they would soon come back if they learned their lesson. If not, then they had to leave us forever. Don't your Clans do that?"

"They'll usually leave it up to us warriors to solve our own problems," Wildfire replied, watching Iris see the other younger cats play. "Maybe if things got severe, then others could intervene. But with Thornstar around...the bullying happens often."

Puck snorted. "Then why not choose a new leader? Surely he or she would've done something."

Wildfire recalled the day when Moleclaw suggested that Thornstar retired and Leafwillow become the new leader. So he meowed, "He retired, and we-no, _ThunderClan _got a new leader. Her name's Leafwillow."

"Well, I hope this new leader's better than that Thornstar cat," Puck remarked. "If there's anything I hate, it's a parent picking on their kits. But since she's the leader, then why don't you go back?"

That wasn't what Wildfire expected to hear. But he was spared from answering that by Chas and Terry climbing up fallen logs and looking down at the younger kits below, the latter being too small to climb yet. Chas was taunting them with friendly taunts while Terry was trying to tell him to knock it off, and Brownkit said something rather cheeky at them. With a pretend growl, the young reddish tabby tom leaped off of the log and right onto Brownkit, tussling around while Lionkit and Terry egged them on.

"Okay, that's enough, you kids," Puck called as he headed over to them. "You don't wanna look scruffy while talking to Raven, would you?"

"No way!" Terry mewed as Chas got off of Brownkit.

Puck chuckled a bit. "Whatever, you two. Let's get ourselves together and let the Clan cats meet her."

Wildfire still had no clue who this Raven cat was; in fact, these cats had kept mentioning the name. So he asked, "Who's Raven? You never told us about him or her."

"Ah, she's a loner who moved here to the Clans a moon ago," Puck replied. "She said she had moved from the old forest, where the forest Clans used to live. She even said she's the granddaughter of a former Clan cat."

"Wow...she might know a lot about being in a Clan," Wildfire reasoned. Beside him, Iris huddled closer to him, not uttering a word.

Puck shook his head. "No, I said she's the granddaughter of a _former _Clan cat. I met her only a few days ago."

Wildfire briefly nodded before looking away. He had assumed that a fellow Clan cat would be out this far since they were now beyond the farthest Clan borders. But he had not thought about non-Clan kits of Clan cats not knowing about the life of a warrior or even a medicine cat.

"Hey!" A pretty gray she-cat was calling to them on the opposite side of the stream, preparing to jump into the water. "Puck, there you are! Who are they, by the way? Should I get them something to eat?"

"Hey Raven!" Puck called back with a grin as she dove into the water. "This is Wildfire. I found him and some kits whose dad beat them."

Raven's blue eyes were wide with astonishment when she looked over at Wildfire before suddenly flailing around. She appeared to have gotten her focus back, for she started paddling harder until she reached the other side, pulling herself out of the water. Wildfire didn't want to say it out loud, but he had to admire that she looked very good in the parts of sunlight in the forest.

"Sorry about that," she murmured, shaking the water from her fur. "Anyways, you're from ThunderClan? So was my grandpa!"

Wildfire had wanted to now ever since he heard Puck talking about her being a warrior's granddaughter. "Who _was _your grandpa?"

Raven's friendly smile faded a bit. "His name was Ravenpaw, and he escaped from ThunderClan when he was around my age. I was born in the same barn as he and his old friend Barley since my mom was his daughter. Grandpa told me that I'd find the Clans out here. So where's ThunderClan?"

"We got thrown out," Brownkit piped up. "Our dad was being too mean to Lionkit. So he kicked us out, and Wildfire came with us."

"Why would he do that?" Raven asked, looking sympathetic. "What gives him the right to pick on you two?"

That was when Wildfire put in, "He was the leader of the Clan. His reign as leader was nothing like in the days of Firestar and Bramblestar."

"And he gave me the name Punykit," Lionkit added.

Puck, Chas, and Terry sat close by, listening and waiting as Wildfire explained his story yet again to Raven. It felt exhausting talking about the entire history of the banishment, but it could raise questions on where they came from and why they were moving away. Plus, he felt rather calm when around Raven, feeling some odd sense of trusting her when he talked with her.

Finally, Raven meowed, "Wow...that's a lot to take in. But I'm glad you're away from Thornstar...yet it doesn't sound like the Clan my grandpa grew up in anymore."

"So...can you journey with us?" Iris shyly mewed from between Wildfire's legs.

Raven frowned a bit as if not really considering joining. Then she smiled and purred, "Sure. I've always wondered what it was like being in a Clan. But first, you gotta try and face me in combat...nothing serious."

"You never said anything about a fight," Wildfire meowed. "But if that's what you want, then let's do it. Do you know any specific fighting moves, by the way?"

"Yeah, my mom taught me some moves before I moved out," Raven replied. "They were ThunderClan moves, the kind my grandpa used to learn. So where should this spar take place? Rocks or trees will do?"

Wildfire looked around, trying to find a good spot for where to spar. He didn't want to fight in the treetops or else someone could fall, and he didn't want to fight on the rocks either, for they were used for sunbathing, not fighting...unlike the Sunningrocks back in the old forest. He had always felt more comfortable fighting with all four paws on even ground; anything else in the way could tip an opponent over.

Thus, he meowed, "Why not just fight here on the ground? Sounds normal to me."

Raven shrugged. "Okay then. If that's the way you want it." She padded off from beside him and faced him, going on, "Just remember: if you win, I'll go with you on this journey. But if _I _win, I don't travel with you. Sounds good?"

"Well..." Wildfire wanted to agree, but for some reason, he really wanted the gray she-cat to travel with them. So all he meowed was, "Er...okay."

At the side, Puck, Chas, Terry, and the kits sat to the side, waiting for the match to begin. The last battle Wildfire had been was with WindClan over a piece of woodland that was already in WindClan's territory; he even had a couple of scars on his paws where apprentices had lashed out at him. He didn't want to hurt Raven, but if she wanted to come along by dueling him, then it was fine with him. Besides, it was about time he had a scuffle, practice or real.

But before they could pounce at each other, a yowl rang out through the forest, causing birds to fly up from the trees. The yowl sounded more triumphant than in danger, but Wildfire thought that any yowl would sound the same to him.

"What the heck was that?" Puck meowed, he and the five younger cats looking around. "Sounds like someone caught something tasty."

"You know what?" Raven meowed. "Forget about the spar. I'll join you on your trip...after we see what that noise came from!"

Wildfire nodded. "We'll go right away. Chas and Terry, can you keep an eye on Lionkit, Brownkit, and Iris for us?"

Terry nodded. "Sure. We've always wanted new playmates."

She and Chas looked like they were around the apprentice age, and if they were Clan cats, they could be in the middle of their training. But if there was another Clan out there, then he could see them become apprentices. But what would their names be? Terrypaw and Chaspaw didn't sound like good Clan names to him. And as for Puck and Raven...Raven could get a warrior name easier than Puck. Anyways, he, Raven, and Puck hid the kits in the bushes before rushing down the forest past.

The young warrior and the two loners hadn't even gone far when they smelled the scent of a freshly-caught starling along with the scent of a loner or rogue. Wildfire thought that it was familiar, but he couldn't be sure. Surely enough, as they slid into the bushes, they heard voices speak.

"Here you go, old man," a familiar voice meowed. "Let me chew it for you first before-"

"No need to," an old cat's voice growled. "I can still chew just fine, youngster. I've eaten toughter rabbits than you have all the prey you've ever had."

The first voice sighed. "Come on, it won't take long. We gotta meet those Clan cats where the streams meet, and we'll get there sooner once you chew on it."

Now Wildfire knew who it was: Sparrow, the cat travelling with the old cat named Old Bones. They had decided to split up for now to meet each other at the area where the two streams met.

"Sparrow," he meowed, stepping out of the bushes. "It's me, Wildfire."

_**To be continued...**_

**...**

**Cody The Pikachu: So there we go, folks! Hope you like it, because that's all I can do for right now. I gotta pull outta here for a little while to think, and then I'll be back. Besides, if there's something you don't like about this chapter, let me know, and I'll fix it right away. Plus, I welcome any reviews whether it be advice or constructive criticism as long as you're polite about it, but I DO NOT allow flames.**

**Don't worry, though; this is only a slight cliffhanger. We'll get to see if Sparrow and Old Bones have recruited more cats, and what will their reaction be to Blue and his family leaving? Like I said before, we'll wait until the next chapter. And will the two groups eventually join together for a long trip?**

**See ya next time!**


	8. The Continued Trip And Hunting Lessons

**Cody The Pikachu: Hey there, everyone, and welcome to a new chapter of Journey To A New Clan! We'll be introducing some more cats into this story, owned by Californian-at-heart and VolcanicPyroBlaze. I wanna apologize for not uploading this any sooner, but I've been busy with some other stuff after the internet crashed. ****But lookie here, I'm back! And I'm gonna try my best to upload some more chapters of Journey To A New Clan!**

**But first, here's another disclaimer. I know I don't wanna do it anymore, but I want to give the OCs' creators all credit.**

**Disclaimer: Remember, I don't own Warrior Cats. I own some characters, but plenty other OCs here belong to many others, and I give them full credit for it.**

**Uploading Date: August 27, 2014**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

**_The Continued Trip and the Hunting Lessons_**

"It's great seeing you again, Wildfire. I never imagined seeing you again so soon."

Sparrow and Old Bones had joined them at the bank of the river, having brought a few other cats with them from a Twolegplace not too far away. They were around six moons old or so, and they included three kittypets (named Pancake, Spots, and Ginger) and a rogue named Crisco; it was only two days ago that they had been found, shortly after the two groups had split apart. They weren't fully-grown cats, but Sparrow had gotten more luck in recruiting them; perhaps if they made a Clan, the apprentices' den would get filled up pretty quickly.

"You too, Sparrow," Wildfire meowed as he watched the sun rising higher into the sky. "How've you come across those cats. by the way?"

Sparrow looked over to Pancake, Spots, and Crisco. "The golden tabby is Pancake, the black-and-white cat is her brother Crisco, and the gray tortoiseshell cat is Spots. Pancake lived with Twolegs, Spots lived next door to her, and Crisco lived in the bushes nearby. Pancake wanted to leave on an adventure, but Spots didn't want to leave her because he's got a crush on her."

"I knew it!" Crisco thrilled in triumph.

The gray tortoiseshell glared at him. "Th-That's not true! We're just friends!"

"What about me?" Ginger piped up. "Gonna tell him I'm a great hunter?"

"I'm getting to that," Sparrow meowed, though he looked irritated with the orange tabby tom; Puck, meanwhile, was rolling his eyes. "Ginger here says he's lived in a Twoleg nest in the woods, and he's seen wild cats and weasels hunting. I guess he picked up on their hunting skills."

Ginger nodded with a grin, pride in his blue eyes. "Yeah. And I stuff the bodies of my prey in a log. It's what weasels do."

"Why not bury it?" Lionkit asked. "I heard warriors bury their prey for safe-keeping until later."

"Wow...never thought of that before," Ginger meowed. "Thanks for the info, kid."

Lionkit squared up to him. "You're a kid too!"

Ginger snickered. "Yeah, but I'm older than you. So there."

"You're younger than us, though," Chas challenged him. "I bet I can catch more birds and squirrels than you!"

"I...can't. Not yet," Ginger blundered, his eyes narrowing. "They're too fast for me to catch."

"Don't hunt anything else just quick," Puck warned him, standing in between the younger cats. "We've already eaten, and we gotta get moseying down the road. That way, we can find other cats."

"About that..." Sparrow shared a look with Old Bones, who merely nodded. "Old Bones and I decided not to recruit more cats with us...not for now anyways. That'll mean more mouths to feed and slowing down a lot more often."

Wildfire nodded, relieved that he didn't have to watch the kits by himself anymore. "I agree. It'll bring some unwanted attention."

Once they were all full from eating, the cats got up to their paws and headed deeper into the woods to find a place to lie down and digest their meal. The kits and younger cats hid under a large log that was big to fit a pregnant badger, and the older cats settled into the ferns and bracken. Old Bones, however, had been having problems settling down due to complaining about the bracken being too prickly, so Puck offered to give up some of his moss. "We always take care of elders," he had told a surprised Sparrow. "Kinda like what I heard the Clans do."

Wildfire was happy to see that Puck was thinking like a Clan cat; after all, he had grown up with other nomads before. Puck, in the meantime, was resting near Sparrow and Old Bones in case the latter needed help making dirt or taking a walk or something like that. Raven was settling in with the kits, Chas, and Terry, murmuring some kind of story to them while Brownkit and Iris slept next to each other. Wildfire watched them with interest, surprised that Raven had shown much interest in kits, and he wondered if she had had any of her own once.

_I hope Leafwillow's leading the Clan well,_ he thought, rolling onto his back and closing his eyes. _StarClan guide her well..._

When he woke up a few hours later, Wildfire looked up the sky. Already, the sun was starting to set, and they had to hurry on down the road before anything else came up like dogs, badgers, and foxes. Looking around, the other cats were deep in their sleep, rolling around and often muttering about dream stuff.

"It's nearly sundown," he declared as he finished looking around. "We gotta get moving to where the streams meet."

Groaning and muttering met his words as the cats rose to their paws, yawning and rubbing the sleep from their eyes. Sparrow was the first one awake as he padded over to Wildfire and asked, "So...we keep going down the path, right? That way, we'll know we're going upstream."

Wildfire nodded. "Yeah."

"Great," Sparrow meowed. "Now excuse me. Puck and I gotta get Old Bones up, and then we'll get moving."

Wildfire nodded while the black tom headed back to where Puck and Old Bones were waking up. Just as he was turning back, he was met by three bundles of fur charging into his legs, knocking him to the ground. He gave a yelp of surprise before looking back up; Brownkit and Lionkit were climbing on top of him to see him while Iris watched from the side. Wildfire was pleased to see that she was looking a bit brighter from before, though she usually didn't get involved in play-fighting.

"Hey Wildfire?" Brownkit was looking up at him with pleading eyes. "Can you teach me, Lionkit, and Iris how to hunt?"

"Not right now; we gotta get moving," Wildfire told the young brown tomkit, gently nudging him off. "Besides, the warrior code forbids kits to hunt."

"But they're not Clan kits anymore," Raven's voice rang in his ears before the gray she-cat joined them. "I've been learning to hunt when I was just around their age. How about we let them give it a shot?"

Wildfire gave her a surprised glance before looking back down at the kits. All three of them looked eager to get started, and even Pancake and Spots joined them. He recalled Sparrow telling him that these two were kittypets; they had probably never hunted a thing in life besides a kittypet toy. If they could start a new Clan, he would have them wait until they became apprentices, but for now, teaching them the basics wouldn't hurt.

So he sighed and then meowed, "Okay, I'll teach you. But I'm going to teach you the basics, and after that, you'll have to wait until you're a bit older. You must do EXACTLY as I do during practice, got it?"

"Okay!" Lionkit chirped. "So when can we go?"

"After we move on a bit," Wildfire explained. Looking back at Puck and his friends, he called, "Seen any predators or Twolegs around?"

Puck shook his head. "Just an old fox, but he's no threat to us. We'll just leave him alone and go around him."

Wildfire nodded. "That's good. Let's move on a bit."

So once all the cats were waking up from their nap, they got the sleep out of their eyes and resumed their trek up the stream. Minutes later, they had arrived at the place where animals called beavers were once said to live at. Wildfire couldn't imagine them drying up the lake, and he also couldn't even imagine the Clans' lake looking dry with dying fish baking in the sun or flopping around. They had stopped at the water to let the younger cats play, Chas, Terry, and Crisco keeping an eye out on them. Wildfire believed this would be a good place to stay, all twelve cats living together in peace and harmony.

_But it's not where the streams met, _he thought as he checked the area with Raven. _We gotta move on._

So once the younger cats were done with playing around, it was time to eat before moving on. Wildfire, Raven, and Puck called the younger cats forward to the shade under the trees for not only hunting but some hunting _practice_, though Iris did seem reluctant on wanting to learn for some odd reason. Since it was almost sundown, the rays of the sunlight were starting to fade and give way to nightly shadows. Sparrow and Old Bones followed them from nearby, watching how the training would turn out.

"Now before it gets dark, keep an eye on what I'm gonna do," Wildfire told them. "My mentor told me to crouch low but not enough to let my belly touch thr ground. Then you creep along the ground like a snake."

"Except don't let your tail brush against something," Raven added. "The noise will get the prey running."

Wildfire looked around at her. "How'd you know that?"

Raven shrugged. "Hey, loners have to hunt too."

Wildfire noticed that she was right; he had been standing underneath some flowers hanging down over his head. With a purr, he flicked his tail at her face playfully before crouching low, making sure his belly didn't touch the ground. To his satisfaction, the younger cats followed his lead; they wren't all perfect, but they were trying. So Wildfire, Puck, and Raven would often try and correct them on how to do it, but they saw that Ginger was watching nearby with disinterest.

"I don't need hunting lessons," the orange tom sniffed. "I can hunt well on my own."

"Are you sure?" Puck meowed. "Try saying that next time a squirrel runs off because you jumped too early."

Ginger looked like he wanted to retort, but he only rolled his eyes and got into the crouching position. As long as they were going to

"What're we supposed to be hunting for?" Pancake asked as her tail posture was being corrected.

Raven replied, "Anything you can catch easily. But for now, let's try catching mice."

That was when Ginger spoke up again. "Mice?!" he complained. "All we gotta catch are stupid mice?! Why not birds?!"

Puck rolled his eyes. "One, you're learning the basics. Two, I haven't seen you climb at all today. And third, if you don't want to be taught this badly, then you can go check Old Bones' pelt for fleas."

With a snort, Ginger just rolled his eyes and stalked off, barging into Wildfire along the way. Wildfire looked off after him and gave Puck a reproachful look, which Puck returned with a shrug. He had a feeling that the reddish tom had no patience with arrogant cats, but they were all starting to get along together while on their journey. _I'll need to talk to him about it later, _he decided.

But as he was about to turn back to the training cats, a rustling in the bushes caught his attention, and he turned to it. Wildfire opened his mouth a bit and started tasting the air for a scent; it smelled like a cat, a familiar scent, but he wasn't sure which one it was.

Before Wildfire could stop them, all the younger cats ran into the bushes, and a surprised yelp followed shortly. Wildfire and Raven shared a glance before diving into the bushes after them, where there was quite a sight before them. A black cat was being pinned down by the cats, Lionkit and Brownkit pinning his front legs down and Chas and Terry pinning him by his hind legs. Wildfire gave a yowl, and the kits, Pancake, Crisco,and Spots managed to get off in time.

"Get off of him!" Raven scolded Terry and Chas, who had not listened to Wildfire yowling at them to stop. In the meantime, the others went to check up on the cat they had ambushed, and Wildfire could have sworn he had remembered this cat before.

"Wildfire!" the cat gasped, laying down at his side. "Lionkit! Brownkit! Th-Thank StarClan I found you!"

"Moleclaw!" Wildfire gasped, gazing down at the former ThunderClan medicine cat. "I'm sorry about how the young ones jumped you like that. So what in StarClan happened to you? And what're you doing out here, away from ThunderClan?"

Hearing this, the older black tom tried stumbling to his paws only to end up slipping and falling onto his side again. Right away, Raven, Puck, and Ginger hoisted him up with their shoulders until he was able to stand up properly.

Just then, the bushes rustled again, and four cats stepped out to follow Moleclaw. Wildfire recognized the white she-cat Snow beside him, and Ocean and Dusk were following them carefully, watching the former medicine cat with wide eyes. And beside them was their father and Snow's mate Blue; the large cat was looking down at Moleclaw with a rather blank look on his battle-scarred face.

"Blue!" Wildfire snapped, fur standing on end. He wouldn't easily forgive the large blue-gray tom for leaving them so soon, and he was sure he had attacked the old medicine cat. "What'd you do to Moleclaw?!"

"I didn't do nothing!" Blue snapped. "We found him like this; Snow and I were hunting when we found him! He was able to tell us the whole story before he walked off to who knows where."

Snow let out a sigh and turned her head to him. "I knew we should've stayed with the Clan cats. You didn't have to pull us away from them days ago."

Blue looked down at her gently. "You know we can't support more cats, Snow. Besides, I'm not comfortable with other cats around."

Just as Snow was about to retort, Moleclaw coughed a bit before looking back up at Wildfire. "Blue's right about one thing, youngster...it's Thornstar! He's killed Leafwillow!"

Wildfire heard a gasp beside him and saw Lionkit and Brownkit sharing shocked looks. He himself couldn't help but feel shocked too; why would Thornstar try killing Leafwillow...and succeed? Was he jealous that he was forced to retire early? Perhaps Moleclaw could tell them what all happened since he last saw ThunderClan. If the other cats would let him join them, of course.

"Let's get you something to ear and settle down for the night," he suggested. "Then you can tell us the whole story."

_**To be continued...**_

**...**

**Cody The Pikachu: So there we go, folks! This chapter is finally done and over with, and I'm really glad about that. If there's anything wrong with this chapter in any way, let me know, and I'll try and fix it. And plus, Bramblestar's Storm has finally come out yesterday! I'm hoping to get it in the mail soon this week.**

**A Clan cat has come over for shelter from ThunderClan, and Thornstar has taken back control...by force! There'll be a story told by Moleclaw about what happened, but I won't make it too long; that's why the plot's here: to be moved along. And don't worry; the journeying cats will be reaching their new home soon, and I'd like to put a poll on here to determine where they should make their new camp. I won't be demanding new reviews, but I'd be happy if you take some time to read this.**

**See ya next time!**


	9. Moleclaw's Tale

**Cody The Pikachu: Hey there, everyone, and welcome back to Journey Of A New Clan! Things are getting interesting now; I wouldn't say action-packed because there's no action yet...but there may be.**

**So about the poll I put up, it was about where the new Clan camp would be at. To tell you the truth, the one which is the winner of the poll will also be fused with one of the others that didn't win. So there could be something unexpecting coming up...like a forest in the mountains or a rocky hillside on an island...or something like that. But no matter what, what I put in here will be where the new Clan will settle at...and you'll find out where their new place will be at in either this chapter or the next.**

**Now let's go on with this story!**

**Uploading Date: August 30, 2014**

**Enjoy!**

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**_Moleclaw's Story_**

Wildfire couldn't help but wince as Moleclaw hobbled his way over to where the cats were settling down at. He appeared to be starving to the bone; he could even look closely enough at his black pelt to count the ribs. Speaking of his pelt, his fur looked even more ragged, and his eyes even looked tired as if he had been travelling all day and all night just to find them. He didn't know if Leafwillow or Thornstar would let him come back after he left the Clan, but right now, he needed help...which had a bit of irony twisted into it.

Once he arrived at a clump of ferns between Old Bones and Sparrow, Moleclaw gave a sigh of relief and plopped down like a pebble into a stone hollow. Brownkit whispered something to Lionkit, who nodded and headed over towards the fresh-kill pile, picking up a plump vole. He brought it over to Moleclaw, who nodded graciously for the meal and tucked in right away, acting as if he hadn't eaten in days. The other cats watched in interest as he continued eating, mumbling something between bites of vole meat.

"Everyone, this is Moleclaw," he meowed as everyone looked over at him. "He was the ThunderClan medicine cat before Thornstar made him retire. That means Silverpaw is now the medicine cat."

"You mean Silver_heart _now," Moleclaw corrected, looking up from the remains of his vole. "Thornstar gave her a full name even though medicine cats are usually supposed to do that. And it wasn't even the half-moon yet."

Snow spoke up, "But what about Leafwillow? Surely she didn't stand for anything like that?" The old medicine cat gave her an odd look, and the white-furred loner added sheepishly, "I was a RiverClan cat, and Wildfire told me what happened before he and the kits were kicked out."

Moleclaw shook his head sadly. "I see. But sadly, she was found dead while on her way to the Moonpool...and she didn't even announce the deputy yet. All we found was her body next to the lake, her blood pouring into the water."

Iris shivered and huddled closer to Raven, who scooted her closer until she was grooming her ears. Lionkit and Brownkit looked revolted, and even the boastful Ginger looked like he didn't want to hear anymore lest his appetite of woodchuck got ruined. The other cats had even started whispering amongst themselves, possibly talking about Clan cats being too gruesome.

"I think you're scaring the young'uns," Blue growled harshly, herding Ocean and Dusk closer to him and Snow. "Don't say stuff like that in front of 'em."

"Sometimes, they gotta learn that not everything's about butterflies and fish," Puck reasoned. Looking at Moleclaw, he meowed, "Continue, sir."

"Thank you," Moleclaw meowed. "Anyways, a ThunderClan patrol brought her body back, but Thornstar came over and said we shouldn't mourn for her, and then he told us to take her back out of the camp. I didn't want to point paws, but I bet it was he who arranged for her death."

Wildfire spoke up this time. "But how? Surely a Clan leader wouldn't do that?" But then he recalled how Thornstar had callously arranged for Lionkit to be left behind and eaten by foxes.

Moleclaw shrugged. "Cats in the past had sometimes gathered a gang of rogues to do their dirty work, even a deputy. Just look at how Tigerstar from the old days tried to be ThunderClan leader...and see where that got him." He pushed the vole bones away from him and went on, "Thornstar then announced that he was going to take back his position of leader and even brought in rogues; believe it or not, he named one of them deputy!"

Now that sounded truly insane. Wildfire had heard the other Clans (ThunderClan included) that they weren't adding anymore outsiders to the Clans; he had even heard of ThunderClan welcoming outsiders to help the Clan grow. But what would Thornstar do with the rogues now that he had taken control? Would he get rid of them once he was done with them? Or would he turn them into something like his guards, like checking his food to see if it was safe or killing anyone who would disagree with his favorite hunting spots?

"So how did Dad throw you out?" Lionkit asked nervously. He had apparently not totally gotten over the abuse his father had given him.

"I didn't get thrown out, youngster. I ran away," Moleclaw replied. "Just the day after the past Gathering. I mentioned that Wildfire had the right idea to run off with you and your brother, and he said that I would just go ahead and join you in exile. So that night, after I said my farewells to Silverpaw..._heart _now...I managed to slip on by the guards and started heading north just east of the abandoned Twoleg nest."

"Wait a minute, how's Deerspring?" Wildfire asked. Despite not wanting to go back to ThunderClan and not liking Birchbranch, he didn't want his sister and her mate to suffer from Thornstar's new reign.

Moleclaw looked off to the distance. "They're fine last time I saw them, and so is everyone else. So anyways, I did leave, and I somewhat started heading east of the Twoleg nest. I managed to find Blue and Snow here, and they were telling me where you were heading off to. But then, after I left them, I had stumbled along some rogues who were going to join ThunderClan to help Thornstar, and when I told them who I was, they beat me up." He heaved himself to one side and went on, "They gave me quite a number on my stomach."

Wildfire could now see why Moleclaw looked so exhausted: a long scar was running from his chest and down his belly to his tail along with shredded ears. Some kind of herb paste was on the wound, telling him that the old medicine cat had tried healing himself before he was found. Brownkit and Lionkit looked shocked at how their family friend was injured, and they came over to nestle down beside him.

"Wait, there's more," Moleclaw went on, waiting until they were curled up together at his belly before looking up at Wildfire. "Thornstar announced your exile to the other Clans and arranged for a warrior from each Clan to bring you back."

"What?" Wildfire asked, confused. "Why would he do that?"

"Maybe he just wants you back just to beat his kits all over again," Sparrow muttered from beside Old Bones. He had been listening while checking the older cat's pelt for fleas and ticks.

Moleclaw nodded. "That could be true. Already, some warriors had been picked to head on over: Mottleclaw from ShadowClan, Scorchmask from WindClan, and Redfish from RiverClan. If we don't move on soon, then they'll catch up to us."

"Don't worry," Raven meowed assuringly, sitting down beside him. "We can head out once the night is over. We'll be out of their way soon."

"I hope so," Moleclaw muttered with a sigh as he laid his head down. "I need some rest now, and don't bother me or these kits. Good-night."

And with that, he was asleep.

Once Moleclaw was fast asleep, the cats broke away from his slumbering body to head to their makeshift nests. Wildfire headed back to his own nest between Raven and Sparrow before lying down on his back and looking up at the starry night sky. Were his warrior ancestors ready to accept the reign of a tyrant who had abused his own kit on the day he was born? And would they be able to find their new home in time before ShadowClan, WindClan, and RiverClan caught up with them? He hated to figure out what would happen if they really did come, catch them, and take them all back to ThunderClan. Besides, it would be a long trek back to the lake.

But he couldn't think about it now, not now when he was trying to sleep. With a yawn, Wildfire got off his back and curled around in a ball, his tail wrapped over his nose. It had been a tiring day, and tomorrow would be even more tiring.

**...**

Warm sunlight filtered into the bushes early the next morning. Wildfire blinked the sleep from his eyes as he woke up before he looked around. To his relief, Blue and Snow had not moved away with their kits; had they really decided to journey with them for real this time? Next to them, Sparrow was already awake and gently prodding Old Bones awake before giving him some moss water and going over to Moleclaw. He remembered how the former ThunderClan medicine cat had found them and told them about how Thornstar had seized control from Leafwillow, who was found murdered near the lake.

Wildfire decided to do some scouting on his own...that, and he sometimes liked going out by himself. So he got up from his nest, meowed to Sparrow that he would scout ahead, and left the makeshift camp.

He felt at ease padding beside the stream, catching glimpses of silver flashes of fish swimming upstream, as the sun began rising from the west. Wildfire knew that the new home they were going to would have to be strong and durable; that, and they would need easy access to prey. An island could do just that: shield them and feed them.

_That would be nice, surrounded by water so no one could catch us. But wouldn't that make us be like RiverClan? And that place back there sure is comfy. _Wildfire shook his head. _Never mind. I'll just catch something to take back to the others._

"Hey." Snow's voice reached his ears, and he saw the white she-cat padding over to him. She sat down beside him and meowed, "You thinking about where we might be heading?"

"Probably," Wildfire replied with a shrug. "Where are we really going to? We have to find somewhere so we can be safe from our enemies."

Snow snorted. "I doubt we'll make any enemies quickly around here...besides dogs, rogues, foxes, and badgers. And we'll need to strengthen the new borders if we're able to get to our new home. Plus, I'm off hunting duty today."

Wildfire hoped Raven wouldn't be jealous if he was talking to Snow...then he noticed that Blue hadn't been behind her. "Where's Blue anyway?"

"He decided to take up hunting for the day," Snow replied. "He's still not comfortable around being in a big group, but I told him over and over that it's what's to be expected while living in a Clan. By the way, do you think we have what it takes to make a new Clan?"

"Maybe," Wildfire meowed, watching as a heron came out from the forest and started fishing in the stream. "But anyways, you wanna go hunt that heron?"

Snow nodded and meowed, "Sure, but let me tell you how to hunt it. It's not going to be like how you hunt birds in ThunderClan. Sometimes, you gotta pounce on them from behind; sometimes, you have to hunt like an alligator."

Wildfire tilted his head to the side. "Alligator?"

"Yeah, where Blue came from, he lived near alligators," Snow meowed. "They're large lizards that live in water and ambush their prey. Maybe they just liked living in the water over land. But still, they hunt by lying still in the water and wait until they're close enough." She got up and started slinking around the heron on the stepping stones, adding, "Just follow me and watch what I do."

Wildfire followed the former RiverClan she-cat until they were on the other side. The heron looked up at the cats once and then merely went back to its fishing, knees up in the water; it was a rather large heron, one that could feed quite a few cats. Hunting in the ways of these "alligators" would be harder than he thought.

Snow signaled for him to hide into the bushes while she slipped into the shallow water, looking rather like a feline log. Wildfire was sure the foam of the water current would be able to hide her as well as the ferns would do for him. He crouched low into the ferns, watching the heron move closer to her hiding spot and snatching up whatever fish it could. And then, just when it placed its next foot into the water and dipped its head low, the white she-cat sprang out of the water and latched onto its neck with her teeth and claws.

That was the part when Wildfire pounced. As Snow held onto the bird's neck, he landed right onto its back, sinking his claws into its sides so that he could drag it down to the ground. The heron squawked and tried flapping its wings, but its wing beats were out of reach so that they couldn't get injured. Snow sank her teeth deeper and deeper into the neck of the heron while Wildfire slid down its back, slashing it as its body eventually reached the ground. Finally, the heron had given up the fight, its head going deathly limp in Snow's jaws.

"Nice work!" Snow purred. "Though I don't think I did the pounce right."

Wildfire purred back, "Thanks. But that's okay; it looked great to me."

He watched as Snow took a hold of the heron's neck and started pulling it towards the water, but it seemed that she was struggling to do it on her own. So Wildfire waded into the water and grabbed onto the neck with her, making Snow mumble a mew of thanks before they hauled it back to the other side of the stream. With that done, they rested for a minute or so before dragging it back into the woods.

By the time they had brought the heron back to the temporary camp, most of the cats were already up and cleaning out their nests. They must have been getting ready to move off again, but a decent meal would soon get them back on their paws.

"Hey Wildfire. You were out for quite a while," Raven meowed as she looked up from grooming the kits, giving Snow a critical look. She nodded her head towards the heron and added, "And is that why?"

"Yeah," Wildfire meowed, though he was baffled about her suddenly cool attitude, which was in contrast with her usual cheery self. "Make sure everyone gets a piece of heron and their fair share."

Raven nodded with a sweet look towards him, but when Snow went to join them, she looked less than thrilled. Everyone had noticed the heron and was starting to come forward to take a bite, eating and murmiring mews of delight at how it tasted. That is, everyone except for Blue, who had come back with his own catch of pheasant and was letting his kits eat it, and Moleclaw, who only took one bite before backing away.

"Wildfire, can I talk to you? After I put the medicine on?" The black tom was already padding over to his nest, padding some herb paste onto his stomach before heading towards the young warrior.

"Sure," Wildfire meowed. "Out of the others' hearing, right?"

Moleclaw nodded. "Yes. Follow me."

So Wildfire murmured a brief good-luck to Raven in eating before following the older cat out of the clearing. When they came out to the stream, he saw the blood of the heron on the other side, wondering what predator would be expecting an easy meal to come by. He could tell that where the sun was rising from, that would be the path back to the lake Clans.

"Have you thought about the prophecy I gave you before you left the Clan?" Moleclaw asked once they sat down.

Wildfire recalled what he had said before he and the kits left: _The wrath of the white lion shall swipe his claws of fury through the thorns __that cover ThunderClan. _He had a certain feeling that it would be Lionkit who would help save ThunderClan...but how could they do that when they were no longer in the Clan?

"I hadn't thought about it until you brought it up," Wildfire admitted. "It's about Lionkit, isn't it? He's just a kit right now."

Moleclaw nodded stiffly. "Yes, and the prophecy has become clearer than before. And don't worry about the age; when Lionkit gets to be around your age, he might have to get over his fear of Thornstar and fight him. But that was also when I saw something like an omen, from the blood in the lake. Something like poison seeping through the warriors of the lake."

Wildfire shifted around until he faced the older tom. "Do omens get read easily?"

"Not that clearly," came the answer. "But by the way Thornstar is running things right now, I fear that new dark times are coming for the Clans. I think more may become clear once we settle down somewhere." Moleclaw stood back up and cracked his neck a bit before he added, "I think I hear the others starting to get up and leave. We better hurry, or we'll get left behind for acting like rocks."

_**To be continued...**_

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**Cody The Pikachu: So there we go, folks! This chapter is finally done and over with, and I'm really glad about that. If there's anything wrong with this chapter in any way, let me know, and I'll try and fix it. And plus, Bramblestar's Storm has finally come out! I finally got it in the mail, and it's really awesome! Plenty of cats died, the lake flooded, there's a new kittypet-turned-warrior, Sandstorm's a great-grandma now, and Squirrelflight is gonna have kits at long last! But there was a mistake in there that would no longer be in any edited versions, as the authors said; any unedited version is now considered a collector's edition.**

**Now about this other poll I'll be posting, it'll be about the name of the Clan. It'll either be RockyClan, IslandClan, ShoreClan, ForestClan, or MoorClan. Whichever gets the most will be called that Clan...though I prefer IslandClan, but I'd like for you all to vote for your favorite name. But about the camp of the new Clan, it will be based on the number of votesin my poll...combined with another unchosen choice to add.**

**See ya next time!**


	10. Home?

**Cody The Pikachu: Hey there, everyone, and welcome back to Journey Of A New Clan! Now this chapter may be the chapter where they eventually find their new home; it'll be a few days away from the lake Clans if there wasn't a bunch of cats journeying, but it wouldn't be called a new Clan if there weren't any cats.**

**Plus, I will be posting the allegiances for the travellers. There are almost TWENTY cats in the group. And I mistook Raven as a gray cat, but I won't make that mistake anymore! And it's finally September, when the temperature will finally start getting cooler.**

**_Allegiances_**

**_Travellers_**

**Wildfire = dark brown tabby tom with hazel eyes; former ThunderClan warrior**

**Moleclaw = skinny black tom with white front paws; former ThunderClan medicine cat**

**Lionkit = little white tom with blue eyes; son of ThunderClan leader Thornstar**

**Brownkit = little brown tom; Lionkit's brother**

**Snow = longhaired white she-cat with blue eyes and a black tail; former RiverClan warrior**

**Blue = large blue-gray tom with a battle-scarred pelt and green eyes; Snow's mate**

**Ocean = bluish-white she-cat with green eyes**

**Dusk = black tom with blue eyes**

**Iris = scarred black she-cat with ginger-and-white flecks and green eyes**

**Sparrow = midnight-black tom with sky-blue eyes**

**Old Bones = very old gray tom with cloudy eyes**

**Puck = mottled ginger tom with a long tail and blue eyes**

**Chas = long-legged red tabby tom with a white muzzle, white tail tip, white paws, and green eyes**

**Terry = smoky-gray she-cat with a plumed tail and amber eyes**

**Raven = black she-cat with ocean-blue eyes**

**Pancake = golden tabby she-cat with yellow eyes**

**Crisco = black-and-white tom**

**Spots = gray tortoiseshell tom**

**Ginger = ginger tabby tom**

**Uploading Date: September 3, 2014**

**Other than that, I have found out that the polls have increased a bit, so I will reveal their new Clan camp location either in this chapter or the next. Now let's get on with the story. Enjoy!**

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**_Home?_**

Crisco, Pancake, and Spots were darting around the paws of the older cats as they continued their trek, sights of greenleaf all around them. Wildfire watched in amusement as Lionkit, Brownkit, Chas, Terry, and Ginger joined them, Lionkit looking livelier after briefly forgetting about Thornstar. Speaking of him, Moleclaw had a point: if Lionkit was going to shed his fear for his father, then he would have to fight him one day, yet there was no shame in letting him live a normal warrior's life.

But then he noticed that Iris wasn't joining the others, perhaps preferring to stick with Raven at all times. Wildfire guessed that she probably didn't like fighting (real or fake), and she could become Moleclaw's new apprentice. But that was for StarClan to decide, he thought...yet he couldn't help but feel that StarClan might not follow them out here, away from the lake. He had heard that wherever Clan cats went, StarClan could not always see them, so they would have to be wary and hope that their warrior ancestors would support them no matter what happened.

"Hey!" Chas and Terry were now hopping on stepping stones, and Pancake was calling, "Be careful out there!"

"Ah, don't worry about it," Puck assured her, looking fondly out at his brother and his friend. "I bet they're out looking for lunch."

"But we already had lunch!" Dusk, who had joined in the playing along with Ocean, joined up with Pancake. "So let's play!"

With a pretend growl at Terry, Chas hopped over each stone...only to slip and fall into the shallow water, sputtering in frustration while Terry hurried back to shore. Puck rolled his eyes and jumped into the water, pulling his little brother out until he was out, shivering and immediately pressing down to the sun-warmed rocks. Wildfire knew that the young tabby had not meant to slip and that falling into the water was punishment enough.

However, Puck was not so merciful as he growled in frustration, "Seriously, Chas? Now I think Pancake's right; the stepping stones are _not_ playthings. You remember what happened to the last cat who did it?"

Chas shivered and nodded, but he couldn't speak due to his clattering teeth. It was Terry who spoke up in a subdued voice: "Yeah. Mossy slipped off of it and cut her neck on a rough edge. She looked so pained while she died."

"Rest assured, you have a medicine cat with you now, so I can heal anything you have trouble with," Moleclaw meowed, making his way over. "And Chas, you better come with me. We'll need to check you over for a cold or leeches...and we'll need to find some lavender, catmint, or feverfew."

"O-Okay," Chas managed to stammer from the cold. Looking back at Puck, he mewed, "T-Thanks, bro."

"Anytime," Puck replied, his face looking gentler. "Just be careful next time."

With that, Moleclaw led the young tabby cat away from the stream, Iris suddenly bounding over and asking something. Wildfire guessed that Iris really did want to be a medicine cat at all, but as he thought earlier, StarClan would decide. But he wouldn't be surprised if she really was chosen.

The journey went on without much incident, but they did start telling each other family life as they settled down for a sun-high meal...or "lunchtime" as Pancake called it. Snow had lived in RiverClan with deceased parents; her mother had done something bad to go to the Dark Forest, and her father died sacrificing himself for her. Puck, as said before, had lived with a nomad group and was trusted in looking after Chas by his parents Remy and Iris; Terry had later joined them after the deaths of her parents Kerouac and Winnie. As for Iris (not Puck's mother), her parents were killed by dogs, leaving her to fend for herself for a little while before the cats found her.

For Blue, he had usually lived on his own until he met Snow (who was revealed to have been Snowfeather), and she had become pregnant with his kits. When the other RiverClan cats found out, she left to protect her kits from any future prejudice. As said before, Pancacke, Crisco, and Spots lived near each other; Pancake and Crisco were siblings with the former as a kittypet and the latter a rogue, and Spots lived next to them. Now it seemed that all of them were united because of their strong family bonds and desires to have a family.

All the talk about family made Wildfire feel happy that there were more cats in the group. That way, he wouldn't have to worry about raising Lionkit and Brownkit all by himself...but that made him think of his sister Deerspring. Would she be all right in ThunderClan, not knowing if her brother would survive or not? But he was sure she would be fine, and though he disliked Birchbranch, he would take very good care of her.

Once the talk about parents were over, they continued on their journey, stopping occasionally to take a drink from the stream. That was when Wildfire and Snow took the time to explain some more of Clan life like how to get water into moss, and Snow even revealed a trick recently taught by RiverClan: dipping her tail into water and fishing that way. But she had left with Blue to scout ahead for better fishing spots, saying that the minnows in the stream were barely enough to feed one cat.

"You know where Mama went?" Ocean asked as she and Dusk approached Wildfire, all of them having stopped near a hill. "She said she'd teach us more about that hunter's crouch."

"And where's Dad?" Dusk added. "He was gonna teach me some fighting moves."

That, Wildfire was certain that they would be back to teach their kits. When, though, he didn't know.

"I think they'll be back with something for you to play with," he replied, hoping that Blue and Snow didn't leave their kits behind. Though after the good way they had raised their kits, that was very unlikely.

"Wow...look at that!" Snow's voice was meowing from the hilltop in awe, Blue standing beside her. "Even that island looks amazing!"

Wildfire and the other cats climbed up the hill, joined her at the ledge, and looked down to the valley below. Before them was a lake, perhaps bigger than the one where the other Clans lived, and near the shore closest to them was a decent-sized island, its tallest trees not reaching the bottom of the mountains in the distance. It looked like it was enough to support a group of cats, and it would really help to. Plus, the sun was very high in the sky now, flashing its reflection into the lake and nearly blinding the cats.

_Is this the place I was thinking of? _Wildfire thought in amazement, blinking to get rid of the harsh light. _It's a lot bigger than the Gathering island._

"Awesome!" Spots purred. "It'd be fun living on that island!"

Blue nodded in agreement. "Yeah," he grunted with approval. "And we'd be safe from intruders."

"I believe StarClan has led us here," Moleclaw interrupted the musing. "When the four Clans reached the lake we used to live many years ago, it was night, and StarClan had shown themselves on the surface of the water. Perhaps if we lived here, they would probably approve of our new place."

"Again, what's StarClan?" Crisco asked, stopping to scratch at his ear. "Is it your gut feeling?"

Wildfire shook his head. "No, far from that. It's the group of heavenly Clan cats that watch over every living cat. When a cat does good whether their time to die has come or not, their spirit goes up there."

"Just like Mom," Brownkit remarked sadly.

Wildfire looked down at him in surprise. He had forgotten that Thornstar had killed Riverstep for protecting Lionkit from his wrath. Would her spirit be following them so she could watch her sons from the stars?

"Oh, I hope we can find somewhere nice to rest on that island," Old Bones rasped, standing close to Sparrow. "Somewhere to rest these old legs of mine. Somewhere I can always look forward to sleeping in every night."

"Somewhere you can always get a free meal," Sparrow added with a purr, affection for the old tom in his voice.

However, Raven meowed, "But how do we get over there? Some of us are too old or young to swim."

Her word took an effect on the travelling cats. Some of the younger cats looked eager to run down the hill and swim while others were looking at the lake with mild misgiving, as if not sure whether this was a good idea or not. Wildfire even had his doubts, realizing that Raven was right. Without anything to help them swim, then there was no point in going to the island. Perhaps they would need to move ahead.

Suddenly, Terry bounded up to the older cats with Chas behind her. "We got an idea!" she chirped, accidentally pushing Crisco to the side in the process. "We've often seen Twolegs swimming in those boats of theirs. It's like they're floating above water and catching fish."

Blue rolled his eyes. "And your point is?"

"We can find something that can help us float safely to the island!" Chas replied. "Something big for a few cats to fit on, and something that can float!"

"Don't tell me we have to find a boat," Sparrow meowed, giving Puck a look as if asking him how he rasied cats like this.

However, Puck meowed, "They have a good idea. If we can find a boat, it'll fit all of us, and it'll carry us over there."

Wildfire began seeing that they had a great idea...but then he had a question of his own. So he meowed, "Even if we DO find a boat, how do we get it to move?"

"Um...the wind?" Moleclaw meowed with a smirk. "Complete with some waves, of course. Or we can just paddle hard with our paws."

"Actually, you're right!" Terry purred, her tail swishing from side to side. "We can paddle to the island."

_That would be a lot easier, _Wildfire thought, watching as the cats started padding down the hill.

So once they reached the bottom of the hill, they began padding along the lake, trying to find a boat and the shortest way to get to the island. They found out that the shortest way to go there had been in front of them when they came to the top of the hill, but of course, they couldn't reach there just by swimming. But since Wildfire and some of the other cats didn't know what boats really looked like, they had to settle for pieces of bark and tested them on the surface of the lake. They weren't big enough for all the cats to float across, thus they had to continue their search.

Not only that, but they also found different plants and animals living here, some that were normally seen by Clan cats and others they hadn't seen before. The latter animals included beavers (animals that the Clans had faced before, blocking water that led to the lake), elk, wild horses, grouse flocks, and even bears. After hearing what bears were like toward those who messed with their cubs or food, they opted for catching anything near the lake. Wildfire believed that since there could be no predators on the island, it would surely make a good Clan camp: surrounded by water and safe from predators.

After eating, around the time the sun started going down, some of the younger cats had finally found something worth pushing to the island: a large elm tree log propped up against a rock on a hill. It could be able to float well and was quite big enough to fit most of the cats...perhaps all of them if they made some room. So all the adult cats got together and tried pushing the large log out of there and to the lake.

"Are you sure StarClan led us here, Moleclaw?" Wildfire asked the black-furred medicine cat, grunting as they started shoving the log out of its spot.

"Very certain," Moleclaw panted back, bracing his shoulders against a fork in the log. "I had a feeling we would be here eventually."

"We're getting close!" Blue growled as they pushed and shoved until it was starting to come loose. "It'll start rolling down the hill. Get ready to let it go!"

The cats moved away from the log before it began to roll down the hill, flattening any patch of grass it could get its trunk on. They watched it roll on and on until it finally reached the water, resulting in a large splash and showering the shore with lake water and bits of plants. Silence came over the cats as they watched their hard work floating on the surface while the late sunhigh sun slowly going towards the mountains in the distance.

Just then, the silence was broken by Dusk cheering, "Yeah! Now we can get to the island!"

"Ha! Knew we could do it," Ginger added with a smirk.

"I wanna go to the end of that log," Ocean mewed, joining in cheering with Pancake, Crisco, and Spots. "Please, Mom?"

"I'm afraid not," Snow told her daughter firmly. "I don't want you or your brother falling in and catching a cold."

Ocean padded over to Moleclaw and retorted, "But we got a medicine cat now. He can heal us!"

"Leave me out of this," Moleclaw rasped, but there was amusement in his eyes and voice.

That caused a wave of purrs and laughter to rupture amongst the cats. But as they laughed, Wildfire could see the medicine cat suddenly walk over towards the lake shore and start pawing through the debris, muttering to himself. Curious about what had just happened, the young dark tabby followed him down the rocky hill.

"Moleclaw?" Wildfire asked, catching up to him. "What's all this about?"

"I'm betting it's a sign. Look closely at that stick amongst the debris, that barkless one," Moleclaw replied as he used a claw to gently shift a stick around. "It's heading towards that loose piece of moss, perhaps presenting the island. And there are several lumps on it, nineteen of them. That's the number of cats we have among us. But..." At this, his voice broke off.

Wildfire leaned in closer; though he wasn't that much into medicine cat stuff, prophecies always interested him. "But what?" he asked, looking down at the stick with lumps on it.

Moleclaw looked rather grave as he pointed a claw at the lumps. "One lump has been broken off...and the lumps represent all of us. This omen can only mean one thing: on our way to the island, one of us may not survive."

Hearing this, Wildfire leaped back in shock, surprised and horrified by what Moleclaw had announced. One of them could die today...and it could be someone important later on in the future. Was Moleclaw predicting his own death? And what would they all do without a medicine cat?

_StarClan, don't take Moleclaw from us, _he prayed silently. _We need his guidance more than ever._

_**To be continued...**_

* * *

**Cody The Pikachu: So there we go, folks! The cats are fixing to reach their new home: they're going to the island in the middle of the lake! And Moleclaw just made an omen of sorts. I'm thinking of killing off a character here, but it'll be one character for a little while until they start recruiting. Plus, the idea of the log was from The Land Before Time 5, when they pushed a log into the sea to float on...if it weren't for that shark. But still, I hope you all liked this chapter because I'll be working on the next chapter after this.**

**Oh, and if there's anything wrong with this chapter, let me know, and I'll do what I can to fix it.**

**See ya next time!**


	11. The Water Log Ride

**Cody The Pikachu: Hey there, everyone, and welcome to a new chapter for Journey Of A New Clan! Well, we got the polls down, so in the next chapter, I'll be introducing the new Clan's camp...and I got a new poll up right now. It's to decide on the new name of the Clan.**

**I don't know what the cats will do along the way, so they might talk about some stuff they'll do on the island. And about the warrior names you want the new Clan cats to have, feel free to tell me what their new names can be. But I already got Pancake's apprentice name getting prepared and Blue's warrior name decided, but all the rest are free for naming. And if you want to, make a list of all possible names for Clan cats and look over any name you like. So happy naming, everyone!**

******Other than that, I have found out that the polls have increased a bit, so I will reveal their new Clan name either in this chapter or the next. **

**Uploading Date: September 5, 2014**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

**_The Water Log Ride_**

"Okay, we're ready to head out," Sparrow meowed, waiting while the kits got on board. "The kits go into the middle so the older cats can protect them. Older cats...well, you know by now."

Snow, Sparrow, and Puck had swam out to the lake to retrieve the elm log, pushing it gently until it reached the shore. One by one, the cats started climbing onto it, settling down while those who fetched it pushed it out into the lake the best they could. They sat in pairs, though Iris did huddle with Moleclaw and Old Bones since they had an odd number of cats with them. Wildfire had never experienced anything like this before, and it could be an exciting thing to do.

But he couldn't help but still feel worried about Moleclaw's omen, that one cat would not make it to the island. He really hoped it wasn't Moleclaw, Lionkit, Brownkit, Raven, Old Bones, or anyone else; perhaps he had heard wrong and thought that he was getting old, explaining the random sign. It would have been time for him to take another apprentice so that the new Clan could always have a medicine cat with them.

"Everyone on board?" Sparrow called once they all got settled on the log. They nodded, and he called, "Okay, so we'll see who gets to paddle. Wildfire and Puck will row on one side, and Blue and I will go on the other side. Plus, if anyone gets hungry, ask anyone who can fish to catch something, but since we've eaten, wait until we've reached the island. And lean a bit over the log if you're thirsty. All clear?"

"Yes!" they all responded.

"Good," Wildfire meowed. "Now let's get this thing moving and get to our new home!"

With a cheer, he, Puck, Blue, and Sparrow dipped their forepaws into the lake water and started paddling, turning the log around in the direction to the island. Due to the wind blowing behind them, they got a little more speed, though the log was moving at the pace of a swimming turtle. But it left enough time for Wildfire, Snow, and Moleclaw to teach the former kittypets and rogues about Clan life, like meeting rival patrols, dodging danger, and the bond they had.

This time, however, was the naming system Clan cats usually had. The apprentice-aged cats were excited about this, coming up with bizarre and unbelievable names they could possibly come up with.

"What'll you think our apprentice names will be?" Chas was asking. "I'm hoping to be called Coolpaw or something!"

Ginger chuckled. "Coolpaw? Try Awesomepaw! Or I'm-a-great-hunter-paw!"

Wildfire chuckled and meowed, "That doesn't sound like a bad idea...but those aren't ideal apprentice names. Usually, Clan kits are named after things in nature like plants and animals, movements, colors, and other stuff."

That left them looking at him with awe as if trying to come up with even more names. Then Crisco meowed, "Cool. I wanna be Pikepaw. Pikes are cool."

"Then how did Lionkit get his name?" Raven asked, joining in the conversation. "Lions don't live here."

"Actually, Dad named me Punykit," Lionkit told her. "Because Dad didn't like me. Then Moleclaw gave me my new name."

"And thank StarClan for your new name," Moleclaw told the white-furred kit. "I tried telling your father from the night you and Brownkit were born to change your name. But as usual, he refused."

Snow spoke up, "Besides, lion, tigers, and leopards live in the myths of the Clan cats. We don't know if they had really lived in the forest the Clan cats first settled at, but we've carried on their myths. You want to hear some?"

The younger cats nodded right away, and Snow began her stories, Ocean and Dusk huddling close to their mother. It was like hearing the elders and queens of ThunderClan talk about stories of the old times: from the founding of the Clans, to Bluestar's powerful reign, to how Firestar saved all the Clans, and how Bramblestar created the dawn of a new era. Wildfire felt that there was no way ThunderClan could recover from when Thornstar had taken over, and since they were days away from the other Clans, there was no way they could tell if ShadowClan, WindClan, or RiverClan were doing okay.

It wasn't until Snow had started the tale of how TigerClan got their stripes when he saw Crisco look away and start pawing at the water. He wondered what the young black-and-white tom was doing; they had already eaten before they got onto the log, and Crisco and the others had been taught to not eat more than they should. Thus, he started edging his way closer towards him and watched him dip both forepaws into the water.

"What're you doing?" Wildfire asked.

Crisco looked up at him. "I thought I saw something big moving down there. It looked like a fish or something."

Wildfire looked down at the dark water. It didn't look safe to swim in, and StarClan knew how deep that water could be. He didn't want to find out, and he certainly didn't want Crisco to try it out.

"You think it might've been a beaver?" Puck called from the front of the log.

Recalling his mentor teaching him about other animals, Wildfire replied, "No. Beavers breathe air like us. Whatever's in there is staying down there."

"I can go get it if you want," Crisco offered. "That way, we can all eat!"

And before anyone could protest, he had leapt into the water, sending a spray that doused the nearby cats. Once he had swum out a bit, he took a deep breath and ducked his head beneath the surface, causing some bubbles to surge up after he disappeared. Wildfire didn't know why Crisco would want to go fishing now, for they could always eat once they got to the island. Was the young tom being greedy in catching what he should?

"Why on earth did he want to jump in there?" Snow muttered. "I was just telling a new story!"

"Crisco!" Pancake called, edging over to the edge of the log. Raven nudged her back, but she shrugged the black she-cat away and called some more, "Crisco, you can come up now!"

But nothing was coming up...nothing except some bigger bubbles, that is. Wildfire was getting worried now; was Crisco having a hard time with the fish?

Just then, however, Crisco had reached the surface...but he wasn't moving. Pancake let out a cry of shock, and Snow suddenly jumped into the water, paddling over and grabbing the young cat's brother by the scruff before paddling back. She hauled him back onto the log, and Wildfire saw why he wasn't moving: his throat had been cut, the blood being washed away.

"Crisco!" Pancake cried, flinging herself onto his body. She reeled back and gasped, "He's dead! What happened?!"

Moleclaw edged his way to where they were on the log and looked closely at the body. "Whatever he was chasing appeared to have been quite the fighter," he reported. "But we have no idea what lives in there; perhaps a pike, but surely a pike wouldn't live in a lake? They'd live in streams and rivers."

"I just learned a lesson," Puck spoke up. "From now on, the land's safe. Water? Not safe."

"And that confirms the omen," Moleclaw went on. The others stared at him in disbelief, so he added, "Before we got onto the log, I have had an omen, an omen that involved a stick and moss amongst debris. There were lumps on the stick, the lumps represent us, and the wad of moss in the middle was actually the island. That meant that one of us would not be able to see our new home."

Now Wildfire knew. The sign wasn't random at all; it was indeed a cat's time to die. But for someone as young as Crisco...

The rest of the trip to the island was uneventful, but the cats didn't care. After what they had just witnessed, no one else jumped into the water or had any stories to tell. Spots was looking down at the water as if expecting whatever took Crisco's life to pop up, and Raven huddled closer to Wildfire for warmth. But Pancake was taking her brother's loss the worst, not talking to anyone and looking down. Crisco was perhaps the last of her family left alive, and without him, she was all alone despite the other cats being with her.

They had finally reached the shore on the island just as the sun went down, but Wildfire didn't feel triumphant about reaching the island. Instead, he looked around at Pancake mourning over her brother's body, Spots coming up beside her and giving her ear a comforting lick. The others were also getting off the log and walking over to them with Crisco's body, mewing comforting words to Pancake before sitting down beside her and Spots. Crisco looked even smaller in death, the pale moonlight shining on his drying black-and-white pelt.

"We must bury him here," Moleclaw mewed with sorrow, plucking up some wet reeds to hide the body's scent. "He is the first of us to die, and he shall be honored by being the first cat on the island to be buried."

As if being told to dig, Raven and Snow started digging in the sand in the shadows until they had made a hole big enough for a cat lying down could go in. The older cats took Crisco by the scruff and tail and dragged him to the hole while the kits and young cats watched on in scared silence.

"StarClan, accept this young cat into your ranks," the black tom meowed, lifting his eyes to the stars starting to appear in the darkening sky. "He would have made a fine apprentice. May he roam with you in the stars until we join you when we die."

Pancake gave a small sniffle and laid down beside her brother's grave, tail wrapped around her face and paws. Then she mumbled in a sad voice, "He was like those LeopardClan cats in the story, fighting whatever is in the lake. If we ever get to be apprentices, can I be Pikepaw in honor of him?" she pleaded to Wildfire.

"Sure," Wildfire meowed. "But you'll need to ask Moleclaw about it. He's had more experience in naming new cats."

Moleclaw looked up from laying out reeds on the body. "I've only renamed one cat. But I'll see what I can do." He looked up again to the sky and meowed, "We'll rest here for the night. After that, we'll go check out the rest of the island."

Since the older cats were tired from rowing to the island, they just plopped down onto the rocky shore right away and curled up the best they could. The pebbles were very uncomfortable for Wildfire, who missed sleeping in moss, but he was too tired to care. In the darkness, he could see Snow gathering the kits close to her in some ferns while the apprentice-aged cats kept close to each other near a cave in the side of the cliff. Only Pancake stayed where she was, not moving an inch from Crisco's grave and her eyes still looking haunted, and Wildfire wasn't sure whether to sleep next to her or not.

Raven, however, had solved that problem. She had gotten up from her nest and padded over to the young golden tabby, licking her ear softly and settling down beside her to comfort her. Apparently, she must have had either a litter or littermates to have learned to care for others, and Wildfire was happy to have met a she-cat like her: kind, caring, smart, and even pretty. Yet now was not the time to ponder about Raven right now; right now, Pancake looked like she needed some more comforting cats beside her.

Hoping she wouldn't mind, Wildfire got up from his spot and padded quietly over towards the two she-cats, noticing another ball of fur close to them. Spots had supposedly never left Pancake's side and was now fast asleep beside her. Wildfire thus gave up and settled down on a bed of pebbles not too far away.

It had been an exhausting day. And tomorow, they would set out to explore the island and find a new camp.

_**To be continued...**_

**...**

**Cody The Pikachu: So there we go, folks! I'm sorry if I made this short, but it's gonna start going somewhere. ****Oh, and if there's anything wrong with this chapter (like if the chapter's too short or the character development's not there), let me know, and I'll do what I can to fix it. And we've gotten around seventy reviews lately! I promised I wouldn't ask for reviews, but I'm still happy you're all reading and reviewing. And I won't ask for more.**

**Anyways, the cats have finally reached the island...but at a price. Crisco is dead, and Pancake is devistated. Do you think she'll get to be called Pikepaw after her brother? And what'll await the cats on the island? And spoiler alert: after they establish a camp on the island, they'll use that log as transportation on and off the island so they can patrol or recruit new cats to the Clan.**

**See ya next time!**


	12. Exploring The Island

**Cody The Pikachu: Hey there, everyone, and welcome back to Journey Of A New Clan! I've gotten a review that told me I have to do some character motivation; that is, I gotta explain why characters do what they do. So I'm gonna try my best to do it. Just don't expect me to make it perfect. And on why Wildfire wants to form a new Clan...that'll come around next chapter once they get far on the island.**

**Still, the cats are on the island at long last...though Crisco is dead, and he will be missed. But still, what will the cats do now that they're on the island? What will they find on the island? And where will they find their new home?**

**So now, here's the story coming right up!**

**Uploading Date: September 24, 2014**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

**_Exploring The Island_**

Opening his eyes, Wildfire was instantly and temporarliy blinded by the sunlight on the water. Blinking that and the sleep out of his eyes, he got up and stretched as he was determined to find out where the sun was rising from. He saw that Blue was missing (apparently, he went hunting), but the others were still fast asleep. It appeared that Pancake had finally fallen asleep and was dozing peacefully, still curled up beside Raven and Spots. Licking his lips once, he got onto all four paws and headed away from the rocky beach up to the grassy area above.

From where he was standing, he could get a clear look on the lake and the mainland. Wildfire still could not believe they were actually on an island. This island had to be twice the size of the Gathering island the Clans went to once a moon, and the same went for the lake. They would need to find a camp to call their own, form a new Clan, and claim the island as their home. But of course, Crisco wouldn't be joining them, and perhaps Riverstep would have come along and stayed with her kits if Thornstar hadn't killed her. But what had happened was done, and now there was the future to look forward to.

There was a lot to do today, and he didn't know where. First, he was hungry. And second, they needed to find a better camp than the pebbly shore. But which one would they need to do first?

"Hey Wildfire."

He turned around to see Blue prowling out of the grass, a fish held tightly in his jaws. Wildfire saw that he was right about the large gray tom going out to hunt.

"Hey Blue," he greeted him back. "Where'd you get the fish?"

"Caught it that end of the island," Blue replied with a grunt, flicking his tail towards where he had come from. "I've been exploring the shores."

_Okay, I was half correct, _Wildfire thought. Out loud, he then asked, "So...what made you change your mind? You know, joining us. I thought you like being on your own...and with Snow."

Blue shrugged. "Yeah, I know, but Snow pushed me into it. I love her, but she can be so pushy at times." He shook his huge head before continuing, "I was happy with us being on our own because if Ocean and Dusk go their separate paths, we would be fine on our own. But she pointed out how safety in numbers could really work wonders, and the more she talked about it, the more it made sense. And when I saw Moleclaw injured...well, I couldn't let an injured old timer die. And we're wasting time," he added, looking up at the sun. "We gotta get the others up."

So the two toms trekked back towards the rocky shore. When they had come back, they saw the group huddling around something: some fish on a makeshift fresh-kill pile. But it was Pancakes reaction that made Wildfire worried; she was backing away from the fish as if it was going to jump up and bite her on the nose. The one pushing the fish towards her was Brownkit, but it appeared that his needling wasn't helping at all.

"Come on, it's fish!" the little brown-furred kit was telling her, nudging the fish closer as she tried backing away. "Are you scared of fish?"

At this, Wildfire hurried over and stood between them as he growled, "Brownkit, _enough_. Don't make Pancake feel more upset than before."

Brownkit didn't reply, but he did look down in shame from what he did. Wildfire himself was also feeling guilty, for scolding others was not his way of getting around problems; plus, he hated scolding. And by the way the others were looking at him, he could see that they had a mix of disapproval and pity.

Even Raven meowed with a slightly disapproving look, "Wildfire, Brownkit did wrong, but don't you think you should've handled it in a gentler way?"

"I know," Wildfire meowed with a sigh. He turned to Brownkit and meowed, "Brownkit, I'm sorry I snapped. It's just that you can't scare Pancake like that, not after how her brother died."

Brownkit nodded, though he didn't look at him as he turned to give Pancake and apology. Lionkit came over to rest his tail on his flank, and the look he gave Wildfire (a look that showed disappointment and a certain memory) didn't help either. But now, there shouldn't be all the stress and fighting amongst the cats here. They had a whole island to explore today.

Clearing his throat and watching the other cats gather around, Wildfire meowed, "I'm sorry about what happened, but I'd like to make it up to all of you. It's time to explore our new home, and I'd like to take an expedition of three cats around the island to find a good camp. Who will join me?"

"I'll join you," Raven meowed right away as she stepped forward.

"Count me in too," Blue added, stepping forth too. "And I'd like to show you that fishing spot if that's okay."

However, Sparrow spoke up, "Sorry, but count me out. I gotta see if Old Bones wants help on his walk."

Said old cat rasped from his spot of soft moss, "I told you many times over. I'll be fine, Sparrow."

"No way," Sparrow insisted. "You could die at any day, and I wanna be by your side so I can say good-bye."

Wildfire shared a worried look with Raven while Blue muttered something under his breath. Of course Old Bones was older than even the oldest Clan elder, but he didn't know he would die soon. They had to find a comfortable place fast so that the old cat could live out his final days.

"Then I'll go," Puck meowed as he rose from his spot. "Besides, I think it'll be kinda fun."

"Thanks," Wildfire meowed, getting up and heading towards the small fresh-kill pile. "First, we'll have to eat something. We won't keep our strength up if we don't eat." But then he looked up and meowed, "Did anyone catch a mouse? I don't like fish too much."

Blue looked insulted when that was said, and Wildfire winced. _After that talk we had this morning, we were doing good. Don't make Blue and Snow leave again just because I don't like fish!_

Then, before Blue could speak up, Puck meowed, "What about grubs? I bet they're tasty." After some disgusted exclamations from the other cats, he protested, "Hey, where I come from, there was nothing but grassland. You could find grubs in bark, and they're really good when you crunch on them."

But that left the cats looking even more revolted. Wildfire even looked down at the fresh-kill pile and thought, _You know what? I'd rather eat fish than grubs._

So he dipped his head and seized a fish from the pile, sinking his teeth into the slimy flesh. Fish would never be his favorite food, but he wouldn't stop anyone from eating it...especially Snow. The white she-cat could teach the younger cats to fish for something if all the prey were in their burrows or nests. In fact, the new Clan could learn some skills they have learned over their lives and teach the next generation.

**...**

Once they were done eating, Wildfire and his small patrol headed away from the rocky shore on their way to explore their new territory. Wildfire had noticed that the log was still in the spot where the cats had left it the night before; it could be of good use later, for transportation on or off the island. It was like they had a boat like how the Twolegs often brought out onto the water in the lake.

They had taken along a few younger cats to help them try to explore the territory. They took along Ginger and Pancake, the former because he wouldn't stop boasting and the latter to get her mind off of Crisco's death. Pancake was starting to look a little better, but Ginger stayed where he was: cocky and sure he would always catch prey. Anyways, the older cats had headed over to where Blue had said he caught the fish: a shore of large boulders sticking out of the sand.

"So this is the spot?" Ginger asked, looking around at the rocks. "Doesn't look safe to me."

"Aw, just try it," Blue growled. "A couple of rocks won't hurt you."

"Neither does it hurt to sun yourself on them," Wildfire meowed, recalling some scattered rocks in ThunderClan territory. "Where I came from, we often rested on rocks whenever we felt lazy."

Blue looked around at the rocks. "Well, we gotta try to find some rocks that aren't jagged. And make sure there aren't any snakes."

They moved amongst the rocks, trying to explore around them and find out how to walk in this area. Once things got rockier, they decided to leave the area and give it a name: the Many Rocks. It was a strange name for a couple of rocks, but it was better than having no name, they believed.

The grassy area was next, and it was there that they found some prey to find: mice, voles, a rabbit or two, and even moorhens. The cats decided not to hunt more than they should, though it was tempting to not take advantage of the easy access of prey and catch something.

"Okay, the grassy area can be dangerous," Wildfire meowed, remembering the day when Iris joined the grouped after a hawk attacked her. "Let's avoid this area."

"Hold on," Raven told him, laying her tail tip on his shoulder. "It's dangerous during the day, but what about at night?"

"But what about owls?" Pancake asked around, looking as if expecting owls to fly down onto them.

Ginger rolled his eyes. "Owls don't eat cats, mouse-brain. They mostly go after smaller prey like mice and voles."

Wildfire looked around at the grassy area. "Well, when you say it like that..."

He watched the grass move as a moorhen waded through the tall stalks, snapping up insects and basically wandering around. Indeed, there was good hunting too during the day, but there was no telling what predators on the island awaited them. There could be foxes, badgers, hawks, or whatever that was in the lake that killed Crisco. They would need to be more careful and stick closely together if they were to fully explore the island.

"What if we found some clumps of grass to hide in?" Wildfire suggested. "You know, group some grass together and hide?"

Raven's blue eyes glittered with interest. "That sounds cool," she purred. "Show us."

So Wildfire grabbed some grass from one side and pulled it down to the ground, sitting on it afterward. Then he reached up with a paw to grab a hold of some other grass and pulled that down as well. Once the grass was flattened, he started burrowing his way under it, arranging the small shelter around until only his face poked out of it. He imagined birds or other animals doing it if they were hunted, so it was a neat little trick his mentor had taught him.

"Looks weird," Ginger finally announced.

Blue gave a shrug. "I agree, but better that than stand in the open like trees, right?" the large tom meowed.

Puck nodded. "Yeah, you're right. You seem to be agreeable for a guy who likes being on his own," he added.

"Snow talked me into joining you, and I'm glad she did," Blue replied. "Because I won't leave Snow and our kits behind."

"That's good to hear," Wildfire meowed, wriggling out of his grass shelter. "The new Clan will need you."

"By the way," Raven spoke up. "What made you decide to make a new Clan?"

Wildfire had no idea what to say at first. When he had left ThunderClan with Lionkit and Brownkit, he had been thinking of what it would be like if they made a new Clan. But after what he and his fellow travelers shared, they had the makings of a new Clan. They might not have enough warriors, but they were starting to become like Clan cats.

"It was just wishful thinking," he began, aware that Puck and Blue were watching him. "But on our journey here, I think we really can become a Clan. Raven?" He felt himself go slightly hot under his fur as he faced the black she-cat. "If we make a new Clan, can you become the first warrior?"

Raven looked to the side as if unsure how to answer that. Finally, she turned back to him and meowed with a nod, "Sure. I'll be the best warrior I can be."

"Same here," Blue meowed with a grunt.

"And me," Puck added.

"Us too!" Pancake and Ginger meowed together.

Wildfire looked around at them in pride, joy shivering through his dark tabby fur. Things were looking up at last. If they could try and keep up the positive attitude, then they could be able to make a Clan worth being a part of.

"Come on," he meowed. "Let's get to the forest and explore."

**...**

Once they were finished exploring the grassy area, the four cats headed into the forest to find out what lived there. The pine leaves and branches were so high up that they couldn't completely see the sun rising high. Patches of sunlight _did _appear, though, dappling the forst floor with golden sunshine. Other than that, the forest floor was dark and alive with the gentle flow of leaves.

"Won't be much problems with cover," Blue meowed as he looked up to the canopy. "Hawks won't get to us here. And there's prey too," he added, licking his lips when he saw a squirrel nibbling on acorns in a branch.

He stalked towards the tree where the squirrel was at and clung onto it with his claws, climbing up carefully to avoid falling. But it was too late; the squirrel had noticed him and leaped away, making Blue climb awkwardly back down towards the ground.

"Don't worry about the squirrel," Wildfire told him once he reached the bottom. "That tree's too high anyway."

Blue glared up at where the squirrel was leaping off. "No tree was ever too high for me," he growled. "I was able to climb up with ease."

"Maybe it's because these trees are always big?" Ginger suggested.

"Trees are _always _big," Raven answered with a roll of her eyes.

The cats continued their walk through the woods, watching the ferns rustle as prey darted from here to there. They stopped to hunt along the way and eat a little something, and then it was back to exploring for them. In the forest, there seemed to be nothing except for a clearing and a view of the mainland and the mountains from across the lake. It was a rather good view, and this area could almost shield them from the eyes of curious Twolegs.

Once they finished watching the scenery, they went back to hunting. Puck had noticed a hobbling bird and ran off after it in the bushes, and they had to chase him down...only to hear a yowl and a thud to ring out through the forest. Wildfire was in the lead and was dashing through the woods when he felt one of his paws slip out from beneath him until he clung back onto the leaf-covered forest floor.

"Puck!" Wildfire yelled. "You okay?!"

"Other than a sprained foot, yeah!" Puck called with a mild grunt of pain. "But come on down, guys! Check this out!"

The cats looked down into the bushes, where they could see Puck's eyes shining back up at them. Then Blue called down sarcastically, "Gee, that's nice and all except for one small thing: _we don't know how_."

"I'll try," Raven meowed. "If Puck's hurt bad, we should give this a shot and get to him."

"I think you're crazy," Blue muttered, but he followed Raven down the side of the cliff, their claws slowing down their fall.

Wildfire wasn't so sure that he was ready to slide down with them. He glanced over to the side and noticed some rocks sticking out like stiff flower petals from another cliff, heading over to them. Behind him, Pancake and Ginger followed him the same way, Ginger often helping Pancake off the hardest parts. Seven more rocks later, and all three of them had already reached the bottom of the hollow.

"So what'd we miss?" Wildfire asked as he, Ginger, and Pancake rejoined the cats. Puck was limping around and keeping his right hind leg up, but he didn't look like he was in total pain.

"Not much," Raven meowed. "But check out some possible dens."

They walked around the small clearing, checking stuff under a log at the east side of the area and looking for an exit. It turned out that the rocks Wildfire had used to get down here was also a good exit for the stronger cats in the new Clan; the left side was unprotected and usable for queens, kits, and elders to leave in case of an emergency. There was also a large tree growing between what would probably be old badger sets, somewhere that the queens and elders would get to live. Other bushes around the hollow would not only be good for apprentices and warriors, but the hollow walls were bound to keep the cold wind out.

Finally, as they left the hollow and made their way up to the cliff, they could see the lake just beyond the trees, just like with the clearing at the edge of the island. They saw this hollow not only as a new potential camp, but it also provided the perfect scenery. It was a bit like ThunderClan's hollow, but due to having pine forests, grassy areas, and water all around them, it was like all four Clan territories came together.

"This is it...our new home," he was murmuring, looking around. "Let's get back to the others and tell them."

_**To be continued...**_

**...**

**Cody The Pikachu: So there we go, folks! They're finally getting somewhere on the island! I hope you all like this chapter, and if there's something wrong you see on this chapter, let me know and I'll fix it. And I need help on how the dens should be arranged, where the fresh-kill pile would be at, and what else needs to be added.**

**Anyways, I've decided to set a limit on how often I get onto my laptop. I've been falling asleep recently during the day probably because I've been on my laptop too much. Maybe I should limit my time of how long I get onto it.**

**And one more thing: the island is inspired by the island on Dinosaur Planet, but this island won't be tropical.**

**See ya next time!**


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